


Luminous

by slowjaems



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Mages, Magic, half of this was inspired by harry potter, the other half by the mages in dragon age
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-08-29 16:23:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 43,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16747450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slowjaems/pseuds/slowjaems
Summary: “There are a lot of things I would never like to hear in my lifetime, that Mark Lee is one of the greatest mages of our time is one of them.”In which Mark Lee discovers he has magical abilities and is invited to a prestigious school of magic.“You’re a wizard, Mark Lee.”“Shut up, Donghyuck.”





	1. The Magic Orb

 

   

 

Mark couldn’t believe it.

 

It wasn’t that the concept of magic was a foreign thing. They lived in a world filled with knights, rogues, and archers, an almost fairytale like existence. Except for the whole dark, volatile creatures trying to take over the world, the rift between mages and knights, and the political upheaval in the capitol city, things were great. Well, for Mark they had been. He lived in a small village near the capital. His family lived well enough, his father was a knight in the king’s army and his mother was a vendor who sold jewelry and silk in capitol. With no siblings (which Mark often found himself a bit lonely at times), his parents gave him everything that he could hoped for. He had a good education going to school with noble kids despite his common status. As his mother’s job required her to travel to the capitol daily and it was where his schooling took place, Mark spent a lot of time at the capitol. On a school field trip to the King’s castle, the princess in training (soon to be the queen) had pinched his cheeks and exclaimed, “how cute!”. Mark had only been five then, but he still remembers it all very clearly.

His life had been _perfect_.

Until one day, while toiling around the city with his school friends, they had stumbled upon a magic shop – _Sunggyu’s Emporium_ , the sign had read. A rather nervous looking man with a strange smile had greeted them, ushering them inside and warning them not to touch the orbs on display. Everything else is fine, he had told them with a warmer smile before exclaiming rather loudly, “help yourselves!”. And they did, or at least Mark did. His friends almost instantly deemed the worn, antique shop boring and took to flipping through pages of the grimoires on display with sour expressions. For some reason, Mark actually found himself very intrigued with the small shop. He had stopped to look at each robe on display, to run his hands over all of the intricate designs, he took his time staring at the orbs at a safe distance so as not to disregard the owner’s warning, and he admired each and every staff on display with innate curiosity. While eying a charcoal colored, wispy looking staff with a shadowy gray orb tucked at the end, a hand found its way onto his shoulder.

“That staff belonged to none other than the great Moon Taeil, when he was still a mage apprentice.” It was the shop keeper, Sunggyu, smiling wryly at the staff, “He would have been around your age at the time.”

“Moon Taeil?” Mark wonders aloud unintentionally, making the shop owner give him an indecorous look before he seems to realize that Mark himself is just a curious kid, not a mage.

“In the world of magic, Moon Taeil is a name to be remembered. A great mage, that kid. I say that because he’s only twenty-three, but he is the headmaster of the school of magic, the youngest one to date. The last was ninety-two, the one before that one-hundred and six, but this one is _twenty-three_ , a real kid in our field, but a genius nonetheless.” Sunggyu says, brown eyes shining with some sort of pride that makes Mark smile slightly. He watches as Sunggyu runs a hand along the smooth material of the staff, “This one isn’t for sale. Rather, it is a reminder. There is hope for the world of magic, for mages like me. Moon Taeil is living proof and so is every last one of those kids at that school, the mages of the future. I guess you can say I’m a bit proud to be able to wield magic, it’s not as much of a curse as many make it out to be. It’s a _gift_.”

For some reason, Mark felt a bit inspired. Maybe it was the way Sunggyu’s eyes shone with pride as he spoke, or the highly admirable manner in which he spoke of this Moon Taeil person –Mark wanted to know more. His father, being a knight, despised mages. He thought they were the devil’s abomination. And magic, he said, was the devil’s weapon. Though he never went into details, he claimed mages did horrible, unspeakable things. But despite his father’s claims, Mark grew up to be more curious about mages and magic than frightened. It wasn’t uncommon for knights to disdain mages, the rift between the two dated back several years ago. The knights were meant to keep the mages in check, but eventually their protection grew into oppression and the mages rebelled. This led to a few brief, bloody encounters between the two. The result was The School of Magic, where young mages were sent as soon as their magical abilities were discovered, and kept until adulthood, when they had full control of their magical abilities and it was fully ingrained in them to only use them for good. The Knights weren’t allowed in the school, instead they guarded the outside of the island in which it resided. Though from what Mark had heard from his father, the Knight Commander and the School of Magic’s headmaster were still at ends. The peace was held together by a very thin line.

“Hey Mark!” A loud voice calls, snapping the dark-haired male from his thoughts. He looks over to find his friends standing near the entrance, still looking bored as ever, “Let’s go! The knights are going to start practicing soon!”

Mark nods, though he secretly wished to stay and speak with Sunggyu longer. Still, he didn’t want his friends to tease him for actually enjoying the magic shop, so he turns away from its owner and doesn’t look back as he makes his way to his friends. Sunggyu is too busy fixing Taeil’s staff on the display to pay him any mind anyway.

“Man, that place was such a dust town.” His friend, Daniel complains, before grinning widely, “Good thing I nabbed this before we left.”

As he, Mark, and their friend, Hyunjin, step out into the small alleyway leading away from the magic shop, Mark watches as Daniel pulls something from beneath his shirt. To Mark’s utter horror, he lays his eyes on a dark, wispy violet orb, one of the very same orbs Sunggyu warned them against touching, let alone taking.

“You _stole_ from a mage.” Mark hisses, wondering why he agreed to go to a magic shop with Kang Daniel of all people.

“Relax, he won’t even notice.” Hyunjin butts in, staring at the orb with mischievous grin.

“Well that’s nice Hyunjin-“ Mark says calmly before grabbing his friend by the shirt and hissing, “That you think that a mage won’t notice that we stole a magic orb, that he specifically told us not to.”

“He’ll definitely notice if you don’t be quiet.” Daniel says with a devious grin of his own as he waves the orb like it’s a prize. When Mark’s eyes widen, and he appears to be on the verge of a heart attack, Daniel laughs before quickly assuring their panicked friend, “Relax, I just want to see what’s inside. How bad could it be?”

“How about a demon the size of this entire city comes bursting out, sets fire to everything you love, and then kills us all.” A familiar voice says making Mark’s heart stop briefly before his nerves kick into overdrive, the dark-haired teen swallowing thickly as he and his friends look before them to find the shop owner, Kim Sungyyu, standing directly before them. Like magic, he stood there, seemingly haven teleported before them. The older man seems to rethink his statement, a finger tucked beneath his chin with a thoughtful expression as he adds in a quiet voice, “Well, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but still very bad. I’m afraid I’m going to need my orb back boys, _now_.”

“We are so sorry, we’ll give it back right-“ Mark stammers out nervously when Sunggyu glares at them. But it’s Daniel who takes a step back, clutching the orb tightly.

“Actually, we’ll be keeping this.” He says, making Mark look at him with a look of utter disbelief.

“Yeah, looks like you’ll just have to pry it from our cold, dead hands.” Hyunjin adds just as defiantly, grinning widely before he snatches the orb from Daniel’s hands and takes off past Sunggyu. Daniel himself smirks before following behind him, black cloak swirling in the chilly, autumn wind. Mark himself swallows, a nervous gulp, before he spares a glance at Sunggyu. But the man’s frightening glare sends him running right behind them.

His mother was going to kill him. One, for causing trouble in the city, and two, for stealing. And then, his father would revive him from the dead and kill him again for messing with a mage, let alone willingly entering a magical shop. Mark was definitely dead meat. But if they didn’t manage to somehow get rid of Sunggyu and escape, his parents wouldn’t even get a chance to kill him, Sunggyu would do it first. Was it too late to turn back, hand the orb over, and beg for mercy? When Mark glances back in the midst of running, he takes in the angry scowl on Sunggyu’s face and realizes that it very much is. They had no choice, they had to outrun the older man. With it being well in the afternoon, a time that the knights underwent their weekly training, the city was bustling with small children, eyes filled with admiration for the knights, and young women ready to swoon over the younger ones. The holidays were near as well, and tradesmen from various cities and ports were present, trying to sell their goods. Hyunjin runs straight through the crowd, Daniel following closely behind with Mark holding up the rear.

“Excuse me, excuse me – I’m sorry, I-I’m really sorry!” Mark calls out as he bumps into people, accidently knocking goods from their hands or brushing past them harshly. His face was flushed red and he wished this was all a nightmare.

But when a wall of ice emerges from nowhere (summoned by Sunggyu), directly in front of Hyunjin’s path, the dark-haired boy’s eyes widen as he skitters to a stop, clutching the orb securely. Daniel flails behind him, eying the wall of ice with wide eyes. The townspeople barely bat an eyelash at the ice wall, used to the mages utilizing their magical abilities on their visits to the city. But the next series of events catches the attention of every last individual in sight. Daniel runs into Hyunjin from behind as he stumbles to a stop, but Mark keeps running and for reasons beyond him, a strange sensation began to take over him. It was faint, the tingling in his arm, spreading to his fingers like a spark.

And then, _it_ happened.

Mark held out his hands, prepared to crash into the ice wall in a heap of disappoint. But the teen’s eyes widen when it happens: tendrils of wispy, violet coils emerge from his palms, flying toward the ice wall at lightning speed. The coils, upon impact with the ice, burn the solid mass, and in the blink of an eye, the ice wall is melted to water that splashes on the cobblestone of the city’s ground. Mark, who’s only slowed his speed, stumbles and slips in the water, back hitting the solid ground roughly. The impact knocks the breath out of the teen. He grunts in pain, squeezing his eyes shut briefly. When he finally opens them, he wishes he hadn’t. Everyone was staring at him. Silence had fallen over the entirely of the market square in that moment. Hyunjin was grinning as not to look too impressed, Daniel looked a bit awed, and the crowd surrounding them appeared to be a mixture of shocked and afraid. Sunggyu donned a knowing smile, orb forgotten momentarily as he regarded his melted ice wall.

But it’s the row of knights marching into the city that have stopped in formation that fills Mark with the utmost dread. He can see his father up front, staring at him with complete disbelief. But it’s the Knight Commander, in one of his rare appearances, at the very front who approaches Mark on steady, heavy footsteps. Mark looks up at the man’s tight expression as he looms over him.

“Well, well it seems to me like we have a young mage in our midst, an arcane mage at that. We haven’t had one of those grace this land in years. You’re a rare one, boy.” The older man says, dark eyes narrowed on Mark, “You know what that means. You will be on the first caravan to the School of Magic the first thing tomorrow morning, no excuses. This city is no longer your home. Now, you belong to the land of magic.”

Various gasps erupt in the crowd, the knights look sympathetic and curious, Hyunjin looks shocked for the first time, and Daniel looks remorseful that his actions caused such a chain of events, but it was useless. Mark would have found out sooner or later. Though the Lee boy realized he would have preferred much later, as in never, if possible. It just didn’t seem real. He was expecting it all to be bad dream, that he’d wake up soon after having tossed and turned a bit. But the whisper of the wind across his skin, the chill of cold water he sat in after having melted a wall of ice, and the harsh glare of the Knight Commander lets him know that this was anything but a dream, more like a living nightmare. Mark looks over desperately at his father, for some sort of help or assurance that he won’t be sent away, but his father merely looks away, a bit ashamed and very upset.

The Knight Commander’s words ring loudly in Mark’s head then.

He was a mage.

And from that day forward, he was no longer the boy from the village near the capitol with two loving parents who spent his days exploring the city like it was a newly discovered world, no now –

Mark Lee belonged to the land of _magic_.

 

 

 

 

________

 

 

 

 

The next morning, the caravan arrived early and just as the Knight Commander had said, Mark was on it. Mark was sure he’d never forget the look of helplessness on his parent’s faces as the knights escorted him from his home. It finally hit him that he would be leaving his home of seventeen years, his life as the capitol’s adventurer, the son to two loving parents. And he wouldn’t be back until he had mastered the art of magic. Since he was so unfamiliar with the concept, one that other mages had been studying since early childhood, Mark realized he wouldn’t graduate from the School of Magic and see his home for quite some time.

None of it seemed real. He had spent the entire night before trying to convince himself that maybe there was a mistake, perhaps someone else had melted the ice wall. But there was no mistaking it, the tendrils shot straight from his palms, successfully sealing his fate for good. So now Mark stood, surrounded by knights on all sides as they led him to a wagon like a prisoner. Is this how the mages felt, he wondered as he took in the stoic faces of the knights, feeling suffocated as they smothered him with their presence. Briefly, he wondered if that was why they rebelled, because they no longer wanted to feel like prisoners in their own world. If that was the case, Mark felt a bit sympathetic, but also worried about the lifestyle waiting for him.

He didn’t know the first thing about magic.

How would he fit in? He would clearly be far behind his classmates. Would he ever be able to catch up? Would they accept him? Or would they outcast him for being so withdrawn from the world of magic? Would he be able to pass his classes? Or would he fail horribly and be stuck at the tower for longer than he expected? What if he never mastered his abilities and was doomed to a life in the tower forever?

The horrible onslaught of fears began to really hit mark, drawing overwhelming emotions in his chest. His eyes stung, but he knew he wouldn’t cry. He was just overwhelmed. Life was kind of funny that way, with how it changed course completely in just matter of seconds.

“My son is not a mage, you surely have him mistaken!” His mother shouts at the knights, who ignore her with their apathetic expressions. His mother grabs his arm then, staring at him almost desperately, “Go on, Mark, tell them honey. This is all a mistake, isn’t it?”

But it wasn’t, and because he knows this, Mark can only give his mother a sad frown.

“Ma’am, there was no mistaking the incident. There were numerous eye witnesses to your son’s abilities. He is a mage, and as such he must be sent to the school to help him adapt to his abilities. It is for the best. The School of Magic is the best place for a mage to be. It is safe and necessary.” The knight in charge says, a brunet man, who unlike the rest of the knights, seemed to look a bit sympathetic. Though his tone indicated he’d seen such a scene several times and his words seemed more like lines recited much too often. Still, his face is somewhat soft as he adds, “Now, if you will say your goodbyes quickly, we must get underway.”

He turns away then, missing the very harsh glare Mrs. Lee sends his way. The rest of the knights follow after their captain, though they keep a weary eye on Mark, as if he might risk running away. Mark hadn’t even considered the thought. He was too busy trying to adjust to the sudden change in his life.

“Mark, listen to me. If what these men say is true and you are indeed a mage, know that I love you all the same.” His mother says, reaching up and gripping his shoulder comfortingly. Her smile is tearful, but she braves on, whispering, “Magic is nothing to fear, but it is a journey, one that you have been chosen for. They’re taking you away and I see no fear in your eyes – I am proud. Mage or not, I am proud. Whatever is thrown your way, I am confident that you will face it fearlessly because that is the kind of brave boy that I call my son. You’ll do just fine, I know it.”

Mark was shocked. For years his mother had agreed with his father’s tyranny against the mages. Did she do so to simply agree with him or did she secretly harbor some sympathy for the magic wielders? Or was she simply saying these things because it was him, her son? Mark was sure he’d never know, and he was also sure that it was better if he never did. His mother sniffles, ruffling his hair gently.

“Write me as soon as you get the chance.” She tells him, “I love you, Mark Lee.”

And Mark wants to say, ‘ _I love you too’_ , but the words get stuck in his throat, lost in the complicated mixture of his emotions where they quickly die. So, he does the only thing he can do, he nods and turns away from his mother, from his home _for good_. He knows his father is standing in the doorway, watching silently. He hadn’t said a work to Mark since his revealing as a mage. And it hurts more than knowing his old life is over, that his father will probably never speak to him again. This was the bitter reality of being a mage, and so far, Mark _hates_ it. He walks to the wagon, a construct of dark wood with a thin, almost crème sheet atop it. The knights form an entry for him, and each step closer to the wagon feels like entering a new plane of existence entirely. When the knight pulls back the sheets for mark to enter the wagon, the dark-haired teen quickly climbs inside, seating himself on the hard, wooden seat. The wagon takes off a second later and Mark breathes heavily.

So, this was it, the beginning of his journey into the land of magic.

“Hello there.”

Mark jumps in surprise, nearly falling from the wagon at the sudden voice. Luckily, an arm shoots out, pulling him up just in time. The sound of laughter greets his ears and when he finally looks up, he’s met with messily styled dark hair, kind, dark eyes, and delicately structured features.

“Way to go Ten, scare the kid right out of the wagon to get trampled. That’s definitely a big fat ‘welcome to the Circle of Magic, we can’t pay your medical bills, by the way’.” Another voice says, belonging to the grinning, brunet man to their far right. Though he was sitting down, Mark could tell that he was quite tall. Mark eye’s the two strangers before him unsurely, and when the brunet notices this, he smiles disarmingly and jerks a thumb at himself, “Nice to meet you kid, I’m Seo Youngho, most commonly referred to as Johnny. But please only refer to me as that outside of the classroom.”

The classroom? Mark’s brows furrow in confusion. Was he a professor at the School of Magic? Surely Mark was wrong in his assumption. The man, Johnny, looked so young. He looked like he could be a student, if anything.

“I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is age-defying elixirs.” Johnny says with a grin before confirming, “I am indeed a professor at the School of Magic. Though I’ll let you be the judge on what specialization of magic I teach. Tell me, Mark Lee, is it, what form of magic do you think I specialize in? And you can go ahead and cross fire off the list, way too hot!”

The dark-haired male in the middle, Ten, Johnny had called him, shakes his head while Mark furrows his eyebrows once more. There were specializations of magic? Mark knew there were several kinds of magic, but he wasn’t very familiar with them. And Ten seems to pick up on this, because he smiles before motioning to himself.

“As the idiot said, I’m Ten.” He starts, “Though I do not teach a specialty of magic, I am still a professor.”

“This little elf here is a keeper.” Johnny speaks up, ruffling Ten’s hair with an affectionate look despite the younger’s glare. True enough, Mark finally notices the sharp, pointy state of Ten’s ears and his lithe stature. It was Mark’s first time meeting an elf in person, so he tried not to stare. But he seemed to be failing because Johnny grins before adding, “As the only elven resident of the school, Chittaphon is in charge of the relations between human mages and elven mages. He also teaches ancient elven magic. If you have room in your schedule, I suggest you take it. It’s pretty cool.”

“I would but…” Mark trails off, face flushed with embarrassment as he ducks his head slightly and admits, “I don’t even know the basics of magic.”

“I figured as much.” Johnny says, making Mark look up in surprise only for the elder to smile in an assuring manner, “A seventeen-year-old mage apprentice just starting at the school isn’t that uncommon. You’ll be a bit behind, but it’s no big deal. I’m sure you’ll catch up quickly. Everything I’ve heard about you so far points to it.”

“Y-You all have heard about me?” Mark blurts out, eyes wide. How was that possible?

“Of course, we have! An arcane mage, we haven’t seen one of those in years!” Johnny exclaims, bouncing with excitement as if he were the arcane mage. Mark figures that is was probably a big deal, but why? The brunet man continues to smile before it turns somewhat bitter as he mumbles, “Not since Doyou-“

“Arcane mages are very rare, Mark.” Ten interrupts, making Mark raise a brow at how quickly he does so. Was Johnny about to say something he shouldn’t have? As if to prove his point, Johnny smiles apologetically, but Ten ignores him as he explains, “There is one arcane mage born in each generation of mages. That goes for both humans and elves. So, you know what that means, Mark?”

Mark swallows thickly, a sense of dread and awe overwhelming him as the reality hits him.

“You are the arcane mage of your generation.” Johnny says for him, watching him carefully for his response.

“The arcane mage of my generation, and yet I know nothing about magic.” Mark notes with dread before muttering to himself, “Are you sure this isn’t all a dream?”

“You aren’t in the land of the dreams, but the land of magic.” Johnny tells him, while Ten pats his shoulder comfortingly, “Now listen closely. I’ll explain the very basics; the rest is up to you to figure out on your own.”

Mark nods diligently, thankful for the elder’s lesson and aid. He really needed it.

“Magic is pretty simple but has several complexities along the way.” Johnny begins his explanation in a scholarly manner, “Magic consists of several specializations and classes, and the School is divided according to them. They are as follows: Healing, Elemental Magic which consists of fire, ice, and earth with the subcategory of lightning, Entropy, Shapeshifting, and finally, the Arcane. Healing focuses on using restorative, mending spells and using life energy from the friendlier spirits in our world, Elemental magic speaks for itself: you have the unforgiving element of fire, the poised element of ice, and the raw element of earth, accompanied by the addition of lightning. Entropy focuses on the dark arts, necromancy and things like that. Entropic mages directly attack the life force of their enemies, they’re pretty dangerous so the school has cut back on Entropy classes for the time being. There’s only one taught by a pretty scary looking guy, but no worries, he’s actually a big softie. Next is shapeshifting, which is pretty self-explanatory. You’ll be surprised at what mages can transform into: bears, spiders, you name it. Finally, there is you: arcane mages. Arcane magic is the most powerful, which is why there is only one arcane mage each generation. Because of this, we don’t have arcane classes at the school. Instead, you will learn the very basics of arcane magic in your general magic studies classes. The basics of arcane magic can be learnt, but only very few who aren’t natural arcane mages can learn the more powerful spells.”

“So, who teaches the general studies class then?” Mark can’t help but to inquire curiously. His eyes widen when he realizes he’s interrupted the professor, but Johnny merely waves him off with an easy-going smile.

“Our headmaster of course, Moon Taeil.” He beams, making Ten roll his eyes at his fond expression, “In order to become the headmaster of the entire school of magic, one must master each specialization of magic, which means that our Moonie has mastered every form of magic there is including- “

“ _Arcane_ ” Mark interrupts once more, too awed to remember to apologize. _Moon Taeil_ , that was the person Sunggyu had spoken of in the magic shop, the one who’s staff he had on display as a symbol of hope for mages.

“Exactly, which means he’ll also be your mentor. Every student has a mentor who specializes in their field of magic to help guide them on their journey to mastery.” Johnny exclaims before beaming proudly once more, “Ill introduce you to my protégé once you’re all settled in. The kid’s a genius I tell you, the next best shapeshifter of our time, right after me, of course.”

“Jisung can barely transform into a rat properly.” Ten mutters dryly before turning to Mark with a serious expression, “He turned into a bird yesterday _without wings_. How does that work?”

Mark can’t help the small bubble of laughter that escapes his lips though he manages to stifle the rest. For some reason, it felt good to laugh. In the presence of Ten and Johnny, he was begging to relax. Maybe things weren’t so bad.

“Shut up, forest friend, you’re just jealous because Jisung is going to be a legend.” Johnny says, before staring ahead of them with shining, determined eyes, “He may even surpass Moon Taeil, just you all wait.”

“A bird _without wings_ -“ Ten starts only to let out a squeak of surprise when Johnny’s hands wrap around his throat and he starts to shake him as he chokes him. Mark’s eyes widen at the sight, though Ten is grinning.

“We’re here.” A voice says dryly. It’s the driver, glancing back at them with a bored expression. The staff strapped to his back lets Mark know that he’s also a mage. Briefly, Mark wonders how they arrived so fast. Weren’t they just leaving his village? But then he realizes – _magic_.

“Finally.” Johnny says as if they’ve been traveling for hours. He removes his hands from Ten’s neck, fixes his robes, then jumps down from the wagon. Ten fixes his disheveled hair before turning to Mark with a smile small. Mark himself swallows nervously before helping himself out of the wagon with shaky hands.

The first thing he sees is that they’re on some sort of island. There’s a tower, several stories high to their right reserved for the knights. And the knights themselves as practicing in the setting sun. The crisp, vivid green grass crunches under their boot clad feet as their swords clash with vigor. Beside them is a dock, with a boat waiting to set sail. In the distant, setting sun is another tower, this one several more stories higher than that of the knights. It was huge, a luminous structure in the distance: The Circle (School) of Magic.

“We should get going, classes start early tomorrow morning.” Ten says, placing a gentle hand on Mark’s shoulder to guide him. Mark himself nods obediently, walking alongside the elder towards the boat. There, Johnny is already waiting for them beside the boat’s owner, an elderly man who smiles warmly at Mark and Ten.

“Well-“ Johnny says suddenly with a stretch, “I’ll see you all at the tower.”

And then, Mark watches in complete and utter awe as the man before him _transforms_. It was one thing to speak about shapeshifting, but to see Johnny’s long, clumsy limbs shift into that of the graceful, smooth structure of a bird left Mark standing there with his mouth open, a sight that makes Ten giggle. Mark watches as the brown feathered, owl-like bird that is Johnny does a small circle around he and Ten before it flies off over the water towards the tower, disappearing behind the thin layer of fog above the water.

“Let’s get underway, shall we?” The boat owner says then, offering a hand to both Ten and Mark to help them onto the small boat. Once they’re both seated comfortably, he grabs the oars and begins to row with a peaceful expression. Mark figures it will probably be a long ride, but suddenly he watches as tendrils of lavender begin to form at Ten’s fingers and beneath his dark bangs is a tattoo, spirals lining his forehead that Mark knew was custom to elves. The tattoo began to glow the same lavender color, and before Mark knew it, the boat had crossed several meters and they were now rapidly approaching the tower. When Mark looks up in awe, Ten winks at him.

The teen looks behind them at the tower. The structure was luminous, like a light in the darkness surrounding it. It was a beacon of hope for Mark’s new future.

And so, began Mark Lee’s journey into the world of magic.

 

 

 

 


	2. Fire and Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark attends his first day at the Circle of Magic.

 

 

 

 

The iridescent glow of an amethyst orb fills the otherwise darkness in a pale, concrete hovel. The orb sits, harbored between a set of silver bearings, on full display to the entire room. And from the orb stems a vision, of the great lake leading to the Tower of Mages. On that very lake is a boat, it’s old, kind looking owner rowing with relaxed movements, a dark-haired Elf behind him, and the arcane mage of their time seated beside him. Moon Taeil smiles as he takes in the sight that is Mark Lee: wide, curious eyes and childish features even in his late teen years. The orb, no matter how distorted its depiction, couldn’t have malformed such inquisitiveness, such youthfulness. To say Moon Taeil was excited would be an understatement. He’s been the headmaster at the School of Magic for two years now, but the question of when the arcane mage of the current student’s generation would make them self known lingered in the back of his mind since… Well, since the disappearance of his own generation’s arcane mage. A bittersweet smile makes its way to Taeil’s lips then. But of course, another occupant in the room notices.

“Are you really thinking of him at a time like this?” Yuta’s voice is a mixture of sympathetic and firm, but when Taeil looks up, the Japanese man’s features are soft beneath the orbs amethyst glow. Yuta had grown his hair out quite a bit, the dark strands gracing just below the bottom of his neck, his bangs hanging in front of his warm, dark eyes, a few scars gracing his cheeks and lips from his commitment to the flames and his two years of teaching elemental mastery in the art of fire.

“Forget him.” Another voice sneers, before Taeyong takes a step forward, the light from the orb casting illuminations on his impatient expression. There, both he and Yuta stood in their dark robes, signaling their places within the darker arts of magic: Taeyong’s robes are littered with wine colored insignias and emblems, while Yuta’s bore that of a fierier red. Taeyong’s jaw is clenched the slightest bit, as it always was when the topic of their old friend came up. His eyes are trained on the orb, or rather the boy within it, as he says, “He chose to disappear, let him stay gone. We have a new generation to prepare.”

“Taeyong is right. We've wasted enough time on regrets. We have a very powerful generation on our hands, maybe even better than us. Let’s not let them down by focusing solely on that abandoner.” Yuta agrees with a smirk, one at the mention of the new generation which consisted of his more promising students like Na Jaemin and Wong Yukhei, but also at the prospect of putting the world’s former arcane mage and his disappearance to rest by focusing on the arrival of his new successor.

“If the angst club is done with their dramatics-” A new arrival jokes dryly. Taeil smiles at the gust of wind that graces his skin from the flapping of wings as a large, brown bird flies in from the open window. Almost immediately, it’s feather-clad limbs extend into smooth skin before the smiling face of Johnny comes into view. He fixes his ruffled brunet hair, smooths out his robes, finger brushing against the pure white emblems accustomed to shapeshifters before finally, he speaks with urgency, “We have a small problem, Moonie. That kid doesn’t know the first thing about magic.”

“We’ve already figured out a solution for that.” Kun speaks up for the first time, calm voice echoing in Taeil’s otherwise silent office. The electric blue emblems embellished on his robes glimmering in the amethyst glow illuminating the room as he informs them, “It was decided that Mark will start with advanced classes, in hopes of him catching up with his peers more quickly. His class schedule consists of Primal Magic IV, Restoration Branch II, Advanced Entropy- “ 

 “Some of those are fourth year level classes.” Yuta notes with a frown that Taeyong mimics.

“He has a lot of catching up to do.” Kun shrugs, though he looked as if he didn’t quite agree with the schedule either. Mages were sent the Circle of Magic as soon as their magical abilities were discovered, which more often than not happened very early. Most beginning students were twelve or thirteen, at the latest. Mark was a bit of a late bloomer, though Taeil had the suspicion that his abilities were always there, he was simply never aware of them.

“Are you sure this is wise?” Johnny asks with a look of unease directed at the headmaster.  

“If we put him in a position where he must adapt quickly or sink, I am sure he will learn the basics very quickly.” Taeil replies by way of explanation, in his usual calm, serene demeanor. He stares at the orb briefly before calling out, “Kun, you and Sicheng will cover my Intermediate Magic class tomorrow, in return, Yuta and Jaehyun will handle The Elements in Combat in classroom 32B.” 

“Music to my ears.” Yuta murmurs, smirk deepening as he flexes his fingers. It was clear what he had in mind: having his students face off against Jaehyun’s. Of course, the rivalry between fire and ice dated back long before Jaehyun and Yuta. Still, it was a friendly competition between mages of different elements that Yuta swore to settle once and for all one day. Every year the school had its annual Harrowing – where the students faced off against each other. Each year Yuta hounded Kun, who of course was in charge of all of the planning, to pit a fire mage against one of Jaehyun’s ice-wielding students, and each year Kun ignored him. But now here Taeil was, instructing him to teach a class with his old rival and putting several students at their disposal.

“You seem excited.” Taeil notes as he watches Yuta laugh rather sinisterly. The sight makes the headmaster smile, an almost grin that makes him look even younger with his curly hair and short stature, “That’s good. Do what you want, just make sure you pit Mark against someone powerful. I’ll be watching from here, of course. Make him panic, I want to see how he reacts. The class is officially yours. You have my permission to do whatever you want.”

Both Johnny and Kun spare Taeil a mixture of shocked and concerned expressions. Taeil had basically put several students at the mercy of a complete and utter psychopath, and he was _smiling_ about it. Yuta’s eyes widen briefly, staring as if he’s been handed some sort of golden ticket before, he nods, almost robotically.

“ _Yes, headmaster_.” He replies, barely above a whisper. And then they all watch as he turns to leave on quiet footsteps. Last minute, he thrusts his hand out, flames emerging in his palm. The shadows from the flames dance across his face to illuminate a sinister smirk before the elemental professor disappears from the hovel entirely.

“That had to be the most dramatic exit of this century.” Kun speaks up once the other teacher is gone. The brunet rubs restlessly at the back of his neck as he mutters, “Seriously, what was in those noodles Sicheng made him for dinner? Creepy sauce…”

“Well, at least now the room is a little less emo.” Johnny adds with a grin that quickly diminishes when he glances at Taeyong and the entropic mage glares at him. The shapeshifter quickly adverts his gaze before whispering, “Not completely emo-less, but still- “

“This is ridiculous.” Taeyong expresses suddenly. He approaches Taeil on even footsteps, looking every bit displeased as usual, “If it is true that this Mark Lee knows nothing about magic, then he should not be allowed to take advanced classes. He will only be a nuisance to those who have worked hard to be there. It doesn’t matter how long it will take him to grasp things, mastery should not be handed to him like it is a gift- “

“If only time could wait while we learn things.” Taeil interrupts, voice lacking the same haughtiness as the other male. The headmaster looks calm and composed as he stares into the orb, a wry smile on his lips, “If only wars could wait, if only the world could wait – but time waits for no one, and wars are manmade. And man is always making things. We don’t have time to start from the beginning, not when the world needs people like us, mages like you and me, mages like _Mark Lee_. If anything, we know the consequence of waiting.”  

Kun, already silent, grows more withdrawn as they all become aware of the direction of the conversation: it was back on _him_ , their old friend – the one who was supposed to be there, but left when they all needed him the most. Johnny squeezes his eyes shut briefly, as if the words are physical wounds that he can quickly recover from. And Taeyong immediately stiffens, because this will always be a sensitive topic for him. But Taeil braves on because he is a bit wiser and has learned how to forgive.

“If we wait too long, he will grow impatient when we really need him. And then, he will leave when we need him the most, just like with Doy- “

“I’ve heard enough.” Taeyong’s voice is a mere whisper, and neither of them even get the chance to blink before he’s leaving, the whirling of his black cloak being the last thing they see of their friend.

Taeil looks unfazed by his exit, staring after him with a somewhat blank expression. His disposition may have seemed harsh to those who didn’t understand him. But they all knew him well and that he cared about Taeyong as his friend. However, his role as the headmaster came first and the wellbeing of the students and mages entirely fell on his shoulders. He was always thinking of a greater good, even if that greater good seemed nonexistent to others.

 “Um- I’ll just go make sure Lee Jeno and co. aren’t ice sledding in the halls with the old headmaster portraits again.” Kun blurts out after a moment of uncomfortable silence. The professor scrambles to his feet then, bowing his good night before hurrying off. Johnny watches him go before deciding he should go assist Ten in helping Mark settle in. He too turns to leave, but not before sparing a glance at Taeil and shaking his head.

“You’re insane.” He tells the other male.

“No, I’m the headmaster.” Taeil jokes quietly, though his voice lacks any real enthusiasm and it comes out as a mere whisper. Johnny smiles somewhat sadly then, giving Taeil’s shoulder an assuring pat before leaving as well. His long, defined limbs shorten and round out, skin melding into thin patches of gray hair before the man is no longer a man, but a small gray mouse. Taeil smiles then as well, watching from his peripheral as the mouse hops along into the shadows before disappearing as well.

Silence envelopes the hovel and Taeil turns back to the orb, smile wavering feebly.

With a wave of his hand, the orb illuminates several images. The first is of a few sleeping students, one being Park Jisung, who tosses and turns restlessly in his slumber only to accidently transform himself into a frog. Taeil can’t help the laughter that escapes as he watches the frog’s eyes fly open before it starts to bounce around helplessly. The image fades before another is presented in which both Na Jaemin and Wong Yukhei, preferably referred to as Lucas, are attempting to cook. Jaemin seems to be having trouble using the stove, only for Lucas to push him aside. He makes a gesture that says ‘watch this’ before he holds out his palm and Taeil watches as _the entire stove_ catches fire. Both Lucas and Jaemin’s eyes widen and they quickly scramble to put out the fire, Lucas taking off his shirt and using it to fan the flames while Jaemin appears to be searching for the fire extinguisher though he wastes much of it tugging at his hair and shrieking shrilly in panic.

The next shows Huang Renjun, who’s sitting at his desk, staring at a dead bird. He closes his eyes briefly, as if bracing himself, before holding his palm above the bird, casting some sort of spell. A flash of bright, illuminating light delves from his palm, enveloping the bird before the creature all but springs to life. The bird jolts up, flapping madly, scaring poor Renjun, who lets out a shrill shriek, eyes rolling back into his head from shock before he falls back in his chair, unconscious. The bird is still flapping wildly, high-pitched squawking emerging from its mouth. The noise seems to have woken Renjun’s roommate, Lee Jeno, who’s now holding a pillow threateningly towards the bird.  The bird doesn’t appear to be threatened by the likes of Lee Jeno, however, and when the white-haired boy makes move to attack him with the pillow, the bird quickly side steps the action, causing Jeno to stumble and hit head against the desk, sending him tumbling to the floor beside Renjun, just as unconscious. Taeil shakes his head at the sight of his two unconscious students before the image dissipates.

Next is the sight of Zhong Chenle, who is standing outside of a room that Taeil recognizes as Park Jisung’s. He appeared to be holding some sort of letter with a rather nervous look. Taeil watches as he looks prepared to slide it under the door when the structure itself comes bursting open and Jisung’s roommate Yang Jeongin comes running out, a rather erratic looking frog hopping after him. Chenle seems to recognize the jittery amphibian almost immediately. “Jisung!” Chenle seems to call out, tossing the letter with a rather distressed look before he runs off. The letter hits Jisung’s frog figure square in the face, sending the frog tumbling on it’s back, the force of the letter having winded him. How many pages did Chenle write in that letter, Taeil wonders as he watches the frog twitch on the ground. At the end of the hall, Lucas and Jaemin come running in, avoiding the lightning strikes of Kun, who caught them after having set the kitchen on fire, and is now chasing behind them, palms extending as he times his lightning strikes.

Moon Taeil takes in all the chaos and _smiles_.

These were his students, the next generation, those he swore to protect and lead to the future.

But times were uncertain, and the world was an unpredictable place. They needed a leader in case his time came sooner than he imagined. And he planned one making one for them, or rather molding them – And that person was none other than Mark Lee.

Taeil had learned a lot from watching the previous headmasters. He knew that sometimes hard choices had to be made and, in some situations, he needed to be rash, to not fear the results, but most importantly, to not be afraid to try again if it failed. Which is why he is so calmly prepared to throw Mark Lee into the fire (literally) with hopes that he wouldn’t get burned too badly. It was a risk throwing the arcane mage head first into such an unfamiliar world to him, but Taeil needed him to adapt and quickly. After all, the arcane mage was more often than not the key to peace in the world of magic, and with war toiling on the horizon and tensions with the knights growing steadily by the day, they needed a new arcane mage now more than ever.

‘ _I hope you are ready, Mark Lee_.’ Taeil looks into the orb, at where Mark Lee has settled in and is now tucked into his bed, fast asleep. The headmaster smiles then, a bit sadly because the boy was unaware of the days ahead of him, but there something else there: hope for the future. Once he’s filled with enough of it, the headmaster swipes his arm, the orb’s illumination fading before the room is swept with complete darkness.

 

 

 

 

 __________________

 

 

 

 

 

Bright and early the following morning, Mark is seated at the desk in his room trying to mentally prepare himself for the day ahead of him. But it was hard when he didn’t know what to expect. So he decides to expect any and everything to happen. After all, this was a school full of magic users. Anything was possible.

Despite being in an entirely new environment, Mark found that he fell asleep as soon as he got into his bed bed last night. According to Ten, everyone roomed in pairs, but Mark’s roommate was a special case. From what Mark gathered, the other boy would rarely be in the room as he was very studious when it came to perfecting his craft. After this bit of information, Ten then proceeded to talk in circles, but Mark read between the lines very quickly: his roommate was described as very restless and easily irate. In short, he had insomnia. Mark made a mental note to be careful around the other boy then, so as not to upset him since, according to Ten, he was easily irritated. After rattling off about his absent roommate, Ten had rambled off so much information it made Mark’s head _spin_ : classes start at 8 A.M., don’t be late or you’ll have to spend the entire evening cleaning the kitchen under the supervision of professor Qian Kun, always make sure your robes are presentable or professor Lee Taeyong will put a hex on you for your unpresentable appearance, come to class prepared and study the necessary components the night before or else (Ten didn’t elaborate on the or else bit, but Mark would rather not know at this point), if you see the headmaster in the hallway, greet him accordingly, learn at least one spell a week and perfect them all at the end of the month, or you’ll fall behind.

He then proceeded to pull open Mark’s closet to reveal a row of neatly pressed robes, lined up in an organized row of black, white, and a deep crimson. He informed the teen that the black was to worn to general classes, the white was to be worn to history and restoration classes (healing), and the crimson was reserved for combat classes. But the emblems and insignias were to be worn always. The emblems were a symbol of achievements, such as winning your duel in the Harrowing, successfully mastering more difficult spells, or special honors from the headmaster himself. The more emblems a student bore, the more noteworthy they were. The insignias, on the other hand, represented their particular school of magic (pure white for shapeshifters, wine colored for entropy, electric blue for electricity, amber for earth, rich shades of orange or red for fire, cyan for ice, a mint color for healing, an ash gray for general studies, and a deep violet for arcane magic). To Mark’s surprise, the elven professor had placed an ash gray insignia in his hands.

The confusion must have been evident on the teen’s face because Ten had explaining rather briefly, “Every student starts out as general studies.”. Mark had nodded in understanding, though he couldn’t help the unease he felt as he took in Ten’s rather odd smile ( _Ten wouldn’t lie to him, right?_ ). But before Mark could make any inquiries about anything, the elf had quickly bid him a goodnight after wishing him luck in his classes, before promptly turning and fleeing the room with hasty footsteps. It was odd and Mark should have felt overwhelmed. But he had simply plopped down on his (surprisingly soft) bed, where he quickly fell into a deep slumber.

Now, he’s seated at his desk, holding a schedule that looks like it doesn’t belong to someone just starting out at all as he rereads a note Ten seems to have snuck in and left sometime later last night.

 

 

 

 

_Mark,_

_I apologize for my abrupt departure, I am very busy and I cannot stray from my duties as a Keeper for too long – forgive me. I know this is all very overwhelming, but I, and many others, have high hopes that you will adjust quickly. As your schedule states, you have a combat class today: The Elements in Combat, so please wear crimson robe as required. Please try to be on time for this particular class, as the professors have been swapped last minute and the class will no longer be taught by Dong Sicheng and Qian kun as the schedule states, but rather, Nakamoto Yuta and Jung Jaehyun instead. It is necessary that students learn the basics of all forms of magic. In terms of the elements, students can choose whichever branches appeals to them the most, though they must select two of the following: fire or ice and earth or lightning. Essentially, it is your choice which of two you decide to pair, but it is necessary to master at least two of the elements to become the mage we expect you to be. Choose wisely._

_Also, it is necessary for all mages to wield a staff. It is custom for the apprentice’s mage parent to create one for them. Though I am aware that your case is a special one. For that reason, I had Johnny find my old staff from when I was a student._

_Her name is Mercy._

_If you find yourself in trouble, Mercy will save you._

_Best of luck on your journey._

_If you have questions about your schedule, please see Professor Qian Kun in room 91A. If you find yourself lost and in need of help, find me in room 99B._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Ten Chittaphon_

 

 

 

 

Mark looks from the neatly written letter to the staff he found leaning against his desk that morning. He runs his fingers along the smooth, onyx wood down to the silver, metal encasings curled around a brilliant, blue topaz. So this was Mercy, Mark thought. It was beautiful. And now, it was _his_. He didn’t know how to feel, but he knew he should be honored. How often did professors pass down their treasured staves to students? Though he was still unfamiliar with the school and it’s inhabits, he knew it was a rare occurrence. He decided then that he wouldn’t let Ten down. He would do his best. With newfound vigor, Mark puffs his chest slightly and grits his teeth, only to quickly deflate when he looks down at his schedule.

 

 

 

Primal Magic IV: The

Elements in Combat

 

Restoration Branch II: Applied Healing and Restoration, Advanced Entropy: Hexes, Curses, and Nightmares 

 

Shapeshifting V: Sustaining Forms

 

Primal Magic III: The Elements in Nature, (Optional Elective)

 

General Studies II: Intermediate Magic, Arcane Knowledge III

 

 

 

Mark frowns as he rereads the class list. There were no “beginner” or “novice” indicators in sight. Everything seemed advanced. But that couldn’t be right, he was just starting. Surely they wouldn’t enroll him in advanced classes already without having taken the prerequisites. Right? He decides that they must still be in a beginners range, but simply with more advanced additions and names. Satisfied with his reasoning, Mark smiles slightly as he smooths out his crimson robe, fingers brushing against the general studies insignia pinned to it. The dark haired boy stands from his desk then, grabbing Mercy and attaching her to the strap on his back, he makes his way to the door then where he takes a deep breath before pulling it open.

For so early in the morning, the hallways are packed. Almost immediately, Mark is swept along in the crowd of students rushing to the class. The crowd makes Mark panic. With no clocks or other watches in sight, he had no idea what time it was. So how did the other students know? The only reason Mark even woke up early was because of an insistent tapping on his window from a brown bird that he realized was probably Professor Seo. Feeling a bit lost already, Mark decides to just head straight to his only class of the day. He didn’t want to be late on his first day. He somehow manages to glance at his schedule in the mass of students. Next to the course was the room 34B. Mark was thankful that his room was already on the third floor. Now he just had to find room 34B. Thankfully, the rooms were numbered very simply with a number and a corresponding letter of A for the left or B for the right side of the hall. His room was 39B, which meant that 34B must have been further down, in the middle of the hall. He’s just passed room 37B when he makes the mistake of looking over. Right in the middle of the hall is a bear – a very big, soot-colored bear, standing on its hind legs, waving its paw animatedly as it towers over the crowd of students with what Mark assumes is supposed to be a merry smile, though on the bear it still looked feral.

“You all have a wonderful day!” The bear exclaims happily before it attempts to wiggle its nonexistent eyebrows and joking, “Or should I say have a _magical_ day, instead.”

“For crying out loud-“ A voice groans from Johnny’s side, before a brunet male steps into view, an electric blue insignia pinned to his black robe and several golden and silver emblems embellished beneath it as well. The brunet glares up at the bear, though there’s no real malice as he inquires, “Don’t you have a shapeshifting class to be teaching right about now?”    

“Oh come on, Kun.” The bear replies, placing its paws on its hips. In that same moment, it’s mussed fur and large limbs meld into human features and a smiling Johnny Seo grins and adds, “You have to admit that was a good one.”

“Perhaps.” Is Kun’s stiff reply that Johnny mimics in a nasally voice under his breath.  When Kun ignores his antics, the shapeshifting professor looks around for a new source of entertainment. His eyes scan the crowd before they land in Mark’s direction. Mark smiles hopefully, believing the professor has spotted him and will offer him some assistance. Johnny’s eyes light up as he recognizes someone in the crowd, but Mark is in for disappointment when the professor waves enthusiastically and shouts –

“Jisung! Jisung, over here!”

Mark frowns, looking back to see who exactly the elder was calling out to. No one sticks out in particular until he spots a rather tall, blond boy who’s rushing past, cheeks flushed red from what Mark realizes is embarrassment.

“Jisung, hey! It’s me, your favorite mentor!” Johnny calls out, though Jisung seems intent on ignoring him. As if realizing this, Johnny grins and hurries into the crowd. Mark watches as Jisung looks panicked briefly before he ducks and his long limbs meld into mussed, gray fur, a round body, and stubby paws: a rat. Jisung’s tail sways behind him as he scurries past the feet of the students crowding the hallway, careful not to get stepped on.

“What a cute little rat! That’s right, Jisung. Go off and be great!” Johnny practically coos, wiping a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye with a proud smile. The professor sighs then before telling Kun quietly, “A whole rat and he remembered the tail this time too. Ten won’t believe this. God, what a shapeshifting genius!”

“Wow, a whole rat _with_ a tail, as rats should have.” Kun mutters sarcastically, looking none too impressed, “He’s really the best shapeshifter of our time.”

“I know, right?!” Is Johnny’s enthusiastic reply as he shakes the shorter teacher excitedly that makes Kun roll his eyes.

Mark can’t help but to smile at the sight, though his amusement quickly dies down when he realizes he’s a few steps away from 37B. And to his surprise, he catches sight of the end of Jisung’s tail as the rat scrambles into the room. Mark himself walks in with the other students filing in, just in time to see the rat meld, limbs stretching out into the smooth skin of a human. Jisung blinks owlishly, fixing his messy blond hair, having returned to his human self.

“Jisung, right?” Mark isn’t sure what possess him to go up to the younger boy or even speak to him, but he instantly regrets it when Jisung regards him wearily.

“Who are you?” He asks rather bluntly.

“Mark, M-Mark Lee.” Mark replies, cringing at the way his own voice wavers. Jisung looks monetarily confused before his eyes light up with recognition.

“So, you’re the one Professor Seo spoke of.” He says finally, seemingly sizing Mark up. Mark doesn’t miss the hint of jealousy in Jisung’s tone, that hinted that Johnny probably spoke a bit highly of Mark, or the way Jisung’s eyes stray towards his robe where the General Studies insignia was located, and a lack of emblems was evident. At the sight of this, Jisung smirks before adding, “You’re kind of… _basic_.”   

And then, without so much as another glance back, he turns and leaves Mark to stand there a bit shocked. Jisung had called him basic… What did that even mean? Should he be offended? Mark isn’t too sure, but he follows after Jisung further into the classroom because he doesn’t really know anyone else. He didn’t even really know Jisung and the other boy didn’t seem too interested in changing that either, but he found it more comforting than being by himself. The desks and the chairs in the classroom were all pulled off to the sides, stacked up and leaving a vast, open space that resembled an arena. The students were standing inside the open space, chatting happily, joking around, yawning, and in Jisung’s case, simply standing by with a look of boredom.

“Hey-“ Mark calls out as he approaches Jisung, prepared to question the other boy on his use of the term “basic”.

But the dark-haired teen’s words are abruptly cut short when a sheet of flames erupt, spreading in the air like a wildfire. Mark’s eyes widen as he ducks slightly, frightened by the flames. But he seems to be the only one. Everyone else appears to be prepared for the sudden attack. They create various defense mechanisms with the wave of their hands. Some students combat the flames with more fire, one boy’s entire body melds into rock, another forms a shield of light that fends of the flames. Mark watches as Jisung holds out his palm with a bored expression, a violet bubble forming around him that reminds Mark of the coils that had extended from his palm. Had Jisung just used arcane magic, Mark wonders with an awed expression. But how? Before Mark can question him, a man emerges from the flames, dropping down onto one of the desks with a jittery looking smirk. Mark takes in his long, dark hair gracing his neck, the bangs falling into his face, shadowing dark eyes that watch them intensely. A few scars marred his cheeks and lip, black tattoos covered his arms that peeked from beneath his black robe. A fiery red insignia was embellished on his robe with numerous gold emblems beneath it. A staff was strapped to his back made of dark, Cherry Wood, a small flame burning endlessly at its edge.

“Brace yourselves.” The man says, palms extended. The flames rise even further up, until they reach the top of the ceiling where they quickly dissipate. The dark haired man smirks before telling them, “Today, we settle a century old feud, once and for all.”

A soft sigh emits in the room then, and Mark watches as a tall brunet emerges from the crowd of students. He looked a lot less psychotic than the other professor. His robe bore a cyan insignia and several silver emblems with a few gold ones were beneath it. He was a bit pale, but handsome like the princes Mark used to see in the capitol. Though, he did look a bit tired, dragging in quite slowly.

“What professor Nakamoto means is that today we will be dueling.” The man, who Mark assumes is the other professor Ten referenced, Professor Jung clarifies. Professor Nakamoto grins and Professor Jung looks done already. He sighs once more before addressing the students, “Split up according to the element of your choice, whichever you feel the most comfortable battling in. Ice with me, fire with Yu- _Professor Nakamoto_. Choose quickly, we will start in three minutes.”

He adds one last sigh before plopping down on the desk next to Professor Nakamoto, who grins deviously at him the entire time, flames dancing in his palms in their brilliance. So the choices were either fire or ice, and Mark didn’t know how to use either of the two. Just when he was beginning to feel a bit confident that he could face the day, he was quickly brought back to the reality at hand: he was lost. But he quickly resolves not to give up, he figures he’ll just pick whichever of the two seemed easier. He wasn’t quite sure how one created ice from thin air, but he figures fire can perhaps be produced from extreme emotions or perhaps it was linked with the mage’s body heat. He didn’t know the details, but he figured fire was probably the easier of the two. He watches as the other students file to different sides of the room, fire users on the left, in front of Professor Nakamoto and ice users on the right with Professor Jung. Mark is prepared to head to the fire section when he catches sight of Professor Nakamoto. For some reason, he finds himself watching the older male. He takes in the elder’s black tattoos, the scars on his cheeks and lip, and the jittery smirk on his lips accompanied by the maniacal look in his eyes and Mark shivers.

“He’s insane.” A bland voice says before Jisung steps beside him. Despite his words, he adds with a rather bored expression, “Literally, he’s been diagnosed with insanity from the medical board. But he’s a great professor. I guess that outweighs the fact that he’s a complete _psychopath_.”

As if to prove Jisung’s point, Mark watches as Professor Nakamoto frowns. In the blink of an eye, he produces a ball of flame in his palm, which he tosses at a student (that he didn’t want) prepared to head towards his section. The boy quickly scrambles away to the ice side then, making Professor Nakamoto smirk in satisfaction. Mark quickly changes his mind and direction, and follows Jisung to the ice side. Though he figures he may be mistaken, Mark thinks he sees Professor Jung smile at him when he does. But just as quickly as it comes, it goes, and Professor Jung is clearing his throat and announcing –

“I hope everyone has chosen. We will begin now.” He pauses briefly, eying them momentarily to find two students of his choice before declaring, “First up is Na Jaemin versus Mark Lee. Please go to the middle and begin when you’re ready.”

And that’s when Mark’s heart promptly _drops_. He was up first? With the way Professor Jung is smiling encouragingly at him and Professor Nakamoto is smirking in his direction, it’s almost as if they chose him first. But that wasn’t it, right? Mark reasons that he’s just really unlucky. He looks over at the fire side to see his competitor, Na Jaemin step forward from the crowd.

He too looked like one of the younger princes Mark would see at the capitol with his well-defined features, warm brown eyes, delicately crafted jawline, and neatly styled brunet hair. Jaemin is smirking, resembling Professor Nakamoto’s own expression. Mark himself simply stares, unsure of whether he should be afraid or not. Surely the professors would call off the battle if things got too bad, right?

“You must be really skilled, standing there all confident like that.” Jisung notes from behind Mark, sniffing quietly before adding, “Especially when facing off against the top fire mage apprentice in the tower.”  

‘ _T-The top fire mage apprentice in the tower_ ’ Jisung’s words echo in Mark’s mind, sending apprehension and nerves coursing through him. Not only was he about to participate in a duel in which he had to use a power that he knew nothing about, but he also just so happened to be facing off against the school’s top fire mage. Just great, Mark thinks, the day was off to a really good start so far, he thought sarcastically.

Jaemin makes his way to the center then, cocking his head slightly when Mark doesn’t follow. Mark himself wills back his nerves and forces himself to walk toward the center. The dead silence that seems to have taken over the room didn’t help either. He stops just a few feet away from Jaemin, who’s standing rather patiently. But then, he glances at Professor Nakamoto, who nods in encouragement, and that’s all it takes for Jaemin’s blank demeanor to shatter and be replaced by a rather cocky looking smirk.

“Ready-“ Professor Jung says, sounding rather tired but looking alert, “Begin.”

Mark figures his best bet is to stay on the defensive. He didn’t know how to use his powers, but he could definitely use his legs. How hard could it be to outrun a few fire balls? Sure, Jaemin may have been a top student, but he was still an apprentice. How much harm could he do? Mark would just keep dodging Jaemin’s attack until the time was called. It wouldn’t be much of a duel, but it would help him survive. Feeling confident in his quickly formed plan, Mark looks up to find Jaemin simply staring at him. He seemed to be expecting Mark to go on the offensive and attack first. But Mark knew that would never happen, because he didn’t know how to use his powers. Jaemin, of course, didn’t know, but after several seconds pass in which they simply stare at each other, he seems to realize that he’ll have to make the first move.

Mark watches closely as Jaemin takes a step closer, eyes squinted slightly as if trying to measure the distance between them for the trajectory. In a quick motion, his hands raise above his hands, held mere inches apart where flames begin to descend. Even from his small distance away, Mark can feel the heat and it makes him nervous. He’s expecting a small bolt of fire that he can outrun, but as the seconds pass, the flames between Jaemin’s hands grows even larger until he’s forced to pull his hands apart. And when he does, Mark’s eyes widen as he watches the flames spread like a storm, a _firestorm_ headed straight for him. All it takes is for the simple flick of Jaemin’s hand for the flames to come whirling towards him. The heat he felt before intensifies and Mark realizes that he should probably run. The only problem was that Mark was paralyzed, paralyzed with fear. Who was he kidding thinking this would be easy? Jaemin wasn’t the Circle’s top fire mage apprentice for no reason.

But Mark had been brought to the tower for no reason. Why had he tried to fool himself? He was _useless_. And now he was going to be reduced to ashes, and it was all his own fault. So, Mark closes his eyes and prepares for what’s to come. But suddenly, the heat ceases.

Several seconds pass and Mark finds that he’s still fully intact. Confused, the dark-haired boy opens his eyes slowly. What he finds is a white-haired boy standing in front of him, palm held out with a calm expression. Erected before him is a wall of ice just slightly taller than he and Mark. Neither Jaemin nor his fire are in sight anymore. Mark was stunned. He takes in the boy’s light, white hair, and his crinkled eyes when he turns back and smiles – He too looked like a prince. Who was this boy?

“Professor Jung-“ The white-haired boy says, glancing at the teacher, “-permission to finish the duel for him?”

“Permission granted.” Professor Jung replies, though Mark can’t help but to think that he looks slightly disappointed in Mark. Still, he smiles and gives Jeno a slight nod.

“Absolutely _not_.” Professor Nakamoto speaks up, eyes narrowed as he turns to Professor Jung. His voice dulls down to a whisper as he tells Jaehyun, “That is not what the headmaster wants.”

“Calm down, dragon breath. You think I don’t know that?” Jaehyun whispers back to Yuta just as harshly. He felt bad – Mark looked like a deer in headlights. The brunet professor sighs before explaining, “He wanted to see Mark’s response to a real challenge and he got it. We still have a class to teach. So lets move on, or are you afraid my apprentice will give one of yours frost burn again when he beats him in this duel?”

“How unlikely.” Yuta retorts, nostrils flaring. He was never one to back down from a challenge and he was confident Jaemin could beat one of Jaehyun’s measly apprentices anyway. So what if Jeno was the most powerful ice apprentice at the Tower, he was still no match for Jaemin, even if he gave Lucas frost bite from freezing him so much during their last duel. Yuta was still confident that Jaemin would defeat Jeno with ease, which is why he leans back, crossing his leg atop the other before calling out, “Permission granted Jeno. Let the duel proceed.”

Mark backs away slowly, still a bit shocked at the sudden turn of events. Jeno seemed powerful, just his stance, head held high, but not arrogantly so and eyes focused on Jaemin, both prepared to attack or defend himself, said that he was prepared and a skilled opponent. Jeno steps forward and the ice wall melts into nothingness. Jaemin looks annoyed at first, seemingly irritated that the duel had been interrupted and his firestorm dissipated. But, at the sight of Jeno the expression immediately drops and is replaced with something else, almost like apprehension. The confident person that had been present when it was time to face Mark was long gone. Instead, Jaemin looked unsure. As if to prove this, he glances at Professor Nakamoto, who nods encouragingly.

“Go on Jaemin, show Jeno what you’ve been practicing.” The Japanese professor calls out with a tightly wound expression.

“He’s not going to do it.” A voice says quietly, making Mark turn around to find that he’s already backed his way back to the rest of the ice students. It’s a dark-haired boy with braces who spoke. He seemed close to Jisung, if the way he was playing with the sleeve of the blond’s robe was any indication.

“Why do you say that?” Mark found himself asking. Surely Jaemin wouldn’t forfeit the duel, right? But before the dark-haired boy can reply to Mark, everyone gasps, causing the arcane mage to turn back quickly to face the battle. What he sees is Jaemin with his hand raised and head lowered.

“I forfeit the duel.” Jaemin’s voice is a mere whisper, but still everyone hears and stares with wide eyes at the unexpected action. Mark, however, was confused. What was it about Jeno that made Jaemin forfeit? Was he too powerful? That didn’t make sense, both Jeno and Jaemin seemed to be equally matched. Also, Jaemin didn’t seem like the type to forfeit anything. If anything, he seemed fully prepared for battle when it came to Mark. So what was it about Jeno that made him quit? He isn’t expecting to figure out an answer, but the sudden tugging on his robe sleeve makes him look over curiously to find the brace faced boy smiling as he snuggles his head against Jisung’s.

“That is what we like to call the ‘Jaemin is so whipped for Jeno he won’t even duel him’ spell.” The boy jokes, dimples visible when he grins. Jisung shakes his head at his friend’s words but doesn’t deny them.

“Jaemin has forfeited the duel, by default, Jeno is the winner-“ Professor Jung announces, voice still littered with its same sluggishness though he did look proud of his apprentice, even if he merely won by default.

“This is outrageous!” Professor Nakamoto exclaims, jumping to a stand, flames flying from his palms.

“Calm down, dragon breath.” Professor Jung says simply, shoulders slouching as he appears unfazed by the flame’s mere inches from his skin, “I don’t make the rules.”

“I’ll show you a dragon’s breath.”  The dark-haired male grits out before smirking. Professor Jung appears unfazed, until Professor Nakamoto opens his mouth and whirlwind of flames come rushing out. Jaemin’s firestorm pales in comparison to the inferno that starts to consume the room. The students erupt in shouts of panic and almost immediately start shoving and pushing to flee the room. Professor Jung’s sluggish demeanor is long gone. He jumps to his feet, holding out his own palm. A sheet of ice extends from his hand, prepared to combat the flame. But Mark realizes that for his safety, he’ll have to miss the show down. A hand wraps his wrist, pulling him away and when he looks up, he’s surprised to find the boy with the braces pulling him along while dragging Jisung along with his other hand.

“I’m Jeongin by the way.” He says, flashing a smile as if they’re not running away from an elemental disaster, “Jisung’s roommate.”

“I’m Mark!” Mark shouts over the crackle of the flames with a small smile of his own. Even though he lost his duel and just barely escaped being burned alive, he felt that things were looking up again.

Once they’ve cleared the classroom and made it into the hallway, they quickly blend in with the other students who are trying to figure out what to do next. Many are making plans with their friends now that they basically have a free period, others are dragging back to their rooms, and many are headed towards the dining hall.

“Jeno!” A voice shouts, causing Mark to look over. He does so in time to see Jaemin with a hopeless look on his face as he tries to catch up to Jeno, who’s quickly making his way through the crowd, seemingly ignoring Jaemin. A boy Mark doesn’t recognize, a tall brunet with a cross earring dangling from his ear, places a hand on Jaemin’s shoulder as if willing him to give up, which Jaemin does, but not without clenching his jaw in frustration. He watches then, a mixture of hurt and upset, as Jeno disappears in the crowd. The boy with the cross earring leads Jaemin away by the shoulder then, whispering comforting words to him. And Mark is left to wonder what exactly he just witnessed.

“Hey you, Mark Lee.” A bored voice says. It’s Jisung of course, hands tucked in the pocket of his pants beneath his robes. Jeongin is clinging to his arm, the mint insignia embroidered on his crimson robe ruffling from the action. Jisung cocks his head in the direction where a majority of the students are headed, “Jeongin and I are going to get breakfast and he wanted me to invite you. So, let’s go. The pancake line gets crowded quickly.”

Mark smiles at the offer. Did he really make friends that easily? He couldn’t believe it, but he was thankful nonetheless. He hurries towards the other two, Jeongin linking his other arm with Mark’s.

“Don’t let Jisung’s attempts to be cool fool you.” Jeongin tells Mark with a grin, “He throws a fit whenever they run out of pancakes in the dining hall.”

“Jeongin!” Jisung grumbles, completely shattering the cold façade he had initially presented. His cheeks were the faintest hit of pink and he seemed genuinely embarrassed as Jeongin giggles happily. Mark himself can’t help but to smile at the two roommates. Jisung pouts the rest of the way, ignoring Jeongin’s attempts to pester him by poking his cheek. He doesn’t really snap out of it until they’re nearing the dining hall and a familiar voice calls out –

“Is that my beloved apprentice Park Jisung headed toward the dining hall?!” It’s Professor Seo, of course, in the form of a black cat. He’s strewn on one of the chandeliers, voice echoing in the hallway, “That’s right my beloved apprentice, feast! You’ll need your strength to master the art of shapeshifting! But no worries my beloved pupil, you’re already well on your way!”

Jisung groans loudly, practically sprinting into the dining hall, away from the laughter and the fingers pointed at him from their snickering classmates. Jeongin laughs loudly, clutching his side though he’s more than used to these encounters. Mark lets out a quiet snicker before glancing back. Johnny, the black cat, stares at him before he smiles – and it’s odd seeing a cat smile with its whiskers and sharp eyes. He then proceeds to wink, which looks even stranger, his tail flickering back and forth briefly before he disappears in a cloud of smoke. Shaking his head at the strange professor, Mark turns back just in time to see Jeongin recovering.

“Come on!” He exclaims, voice hoarse from his laughter. He grabs Mark’s hand and pulls him along, the two boys getting lost in the crowded dining hall in search of their brooding friend.

 

 

 

 __________________

 

 

 

 

In the dark hovel of his office, Moon Taeil takes in the smile on Mark’s face illuminated in the amethyst orb.

‘ _Why was I worried?_ ’ He wonders to himself. As he takes in the younger’s smile, a small smile of his own forms on his lips, ‘ _You’ll fit in just fine, Mark Lee._ ’

With a swift wave of his arm, the orb’s illumination fades, cloaking the room in nothing but _darkness_.

 

 

 

 

 

  

.


	3. Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renjun makes a shocking discovery.

 

 

 

 

“It’s six in the morning and I should be learning advanced restoration, but instead I’m probably going to get my butt handed to me by a bunch of floating rocks.”

Lee Jeno smiles, eyes crinkling the slightest bit as he makes his way down the empty corridor. His shoulder just barely brushes against Renjun’s, their crimson robes straying against the marble floor as they head to their first class of the day. Well into yesterday evening they had received word from Professor Qian that classes had been switched around once more. Professor Kim’s Healing and Restoration class had been cancelled (which Renjun had pouted and sulked about until he fell asleep the night before), as a rather brutal battle had occurred between a group of knights and what was commonly referred to as the taint – vile, abhorrent looking creatures that ravaged the land, and a group of mages had been sent to rescue and heal the badly wounded unit of knights, Professor Kim included. Despite the tense feud between the knights and the mages, they still had a very powerful enemy in common and that was the taint. The taint did not care about their petty feud, they had declared war on the world, and so for now, the knights and the mages had decided to put their issues aside for the greater good. Though many feared what would happen once the taint were finally annihilated. With the enemy gone and no other reason to unite, many predicted the mages the knights would turn their arms on each other, but one thing remained unclear: who would arise victorious?

“Come on Renjunie-“ Jeno says, a playful smile on his lips as he reaches over and ruffles his friend’s hair, “It’s not so bad. Professor Dong is usually pretty lenient. We’ll probably just have to demonstrate a few basic spells to show that we’re fit for the class and then he’ll let us go for the day. That’s usually how the first day is when Professor Dong’s teaching Primary Elements. If we had professor Nakamoto, that would be a completely different story.”  

“Easy for you to say.” Renjun grumbles, swatting the white-haired boy’s hand away with a small glare, “You’re an actual ice prodigy.”

“You say that as if you aren’t the top healing apprentice.” Jeno replies, undeterred by Renjun’s glare or attempts to swat him away. He turns his attention to the brunet’s cheek then, squishing the skin of his cheek as he pinches it, “The next great spirit healer of our generation, if Professor Kim has any say about it.”

“Whatever.” Is Renjun’s muttered response as he ducks his head, ignoring the flush that always graced his face at any form of praise for his prowess with healing magic.

It was kind of odd in a way. Before he found out about his magical abilities, Renjun would sneak away to the capitol on the day he knew the mages would make one of their rare appearances. While the other kids were enraptured with the more grand aspects like the elements, shapeshifting, and even entropy, Renjun found that his eyes always searched for the same kind faces, pure white robes, and the scintillating golden wisps of magic that seemed to emanate from their very being: the _healers_. Though many of his friends boasted about wanting to become the next great fire mage or the next great shapeshifter of their generation, Renjun found himself fascinated with the art of saving lives, of restoration and preservation, of _healing_. At first, Renjun had kept much of his fascination to himself as many of his friends in their youthful immaturity deemed healing to be the weakest of the various schools of magic. It wasn’t as exciting as fire, it wasn’t nearly as mysterious as entropy, and it wasn’t as flexible or unpredictable as shapeshifting. In contrast to the more solidified, compelling schools, healing magic was somewhat ethereal, a path that not many mages took because it was so difficult and misunderstood.

Initially, discouraged by the teasing of his friends, Renjun had entered the Circle of Magic at the age of twelve under General Studies. He wasn’t particularly good at any specific type of magic, instead he was just equally skilled in them all on a basic level. He continued in General Studies for the first two years, though his heart remained with the school of healing. He often snuck into the upper level healing classes, awed by what he would witness. In a small amount of time, Renjun had learned how to save a life in multiple ways using multiple techniques. Wanting to put what he learned to use, the Huang boy decided to test the new spells he learned on animals. He would find injured ones while roaming outside the tower. His most favored test subjects were the rabbits (they were so cute). The forest near the tower was riddled with all sorts of predators who preyed on the poor rabbits. Renjun often found them with blood smeared in their pure, light colored fur and a few bite marks here and there. He would sneak them inside the castle under his robe, offering a nervous smile to Professor Lee (who seemed to always be roaming the halls in his restless state). But he never got caught.

In the safety of his room, Renjun would test out the spells he had learned from sneaking into the upper level courses. At first, he found them to be too difficult and seeing as the healing spells hadn’t worked, he had to perform actual first aid on the rabbits, which consisted of him cautiously tying bandages around the rabbit’s injured limbs and then worriedly asking the animal if it were okay (which usually only earned him a curious stare in response form the rabbits). Despite struggling to master the spells, Renjun still continued to save the rabbits from the forest for the special moment when he could finally use the spells properly, though he soon found himself with a room full of injured rabbits (in poorly wrapped bandages), in what his professors would jokingly refer to as “Renjun’s bunny clinic”. Of course, he ended up getting caught for his rabbit hoarding one particularly chilly day in the fall. With a new semester starting in the tower, Renjun found himself assigned with a roommate, which he unfortunately forgot would be arriving that day. Imagine Lee Jeno’s surprise, when upon finally arriving at the Circle of Magic, in opening his newly assigned room door only to be met with a brunet boy seated cross legged on the floor, surrounding by an army of light-haired bunny rabbits.

Jeno had sputtered, unsure what to do or say (after all, what was there to say when his roommate appeared to be the leader of an injured bunny rabbit army). Renjun’s eyes had widened and he had opened his mouth to warn Jeno _not_ to move, but it was already _too late_ , the white-haired boy was already taking a step inside of the room. And that’s all it had taken for the bunny rabbits to deem Jeno the enemy, and in defense of their healer and leader, the bunny rabbits wasted no time in attacking. Renjun could still remember it, the startled shout Jeno had let out as he dropped his luggage, hurrying out of the room as a group of injured bunnies began hopping after him. He was also sure he would never forget Professor Lee’s usually aloof expression turning into that of great surprise as a group of bandaged rabbits came rushing past him, chasing a frightened white-haired boy, with a sheepish looking Renjun holding up the rear, nor would he forget the way professors Seo’s eyes had widened before he too transformed into a rabbit to blend in and not incur the wrath of the other injured bunny rabbits. Eventually, once the professors had managed to calm down the tide of angry rabbits and Jeno had been assured that this was not a common occurrence (though he didn’t look too convinced), headmaster Moon had been called in. Needless to say, Renjun had been _terrified_. Was he going to be kicked out of the Circle already?

The brunet teen had been nearly on the verge of tears as he had waited in Professor Lee’s office for Taeil’s arrival. But when the headmaster had finally arrived, he took one look at Renjun and burst into a small fit of laughter. He had stood before the teen with one of the injured rabbits in his hands and asked what prompted Renjun to start his small “clinic”. Renjun confessed to everything: sneaking into upper level classes, kidnapping the injured rabbits from the forest outside of the tower, sneaking them into his room to practice the spells, and even his failures and need to resort to basic first aid. Taeil had listened with his same inquisitive, patient look as he stroked the rabbit’s fur. When Renjun was done, he had informed the teen that he had someone he wanted him to meet. And then, into the dimness of professor Lee’s office walked a rather pale, gangly looking boy with rather soft features – he bore a kind smile and had an almost illuminous air about him. Renjun had taken in his pure white robes that bore the mint insignia and the numerous silver emblems beneath it – clearly the boy was skilled as a mage. Headmaster Moon had introduced him as Jungwoo, or rather Professor Kim and also Renjun’s new mentor, a feat that left Renjun awed since Jungwoo didn’t look that much older than him. Surely, he wasn’t so skilled in magic to already be a professor at such a young age? But he _was_.

Following the incident, Renjun had been removed from General Studies and placed in the healing pathway where he found Jungwoo as his professor much of the time. Jungwoo was not only kind, but he was patient. When Renjun was frustrated he was always there with assuring words and sweet smiles. Renjun found himself a bit awed that someone as soft as Jungwoo had been on the front lines, healing knights in battle. He had brought people back to life and saved those on the brim of death, and according to headmaster Moon, he was the best spirit healer of their time, a goal that Renjun himself decided he wanted to achieve as well.

Under Jungwoo’s tutelage, he finally managed to master the spells he had witnessed from the upper level courses. Headmaster Moon hadn’t made him get rid of his bunny rabbit army, instead they been placed in the care of Professor Seo, who, due to his shapeshifting nature, had a natural affinity with animals. Having mastered the spells he needed, Renjun was able to visit them one day and heal each and everyone of his injured friends, with the help of Jungwoo of course. Whenever he found free time, Renjun took to the forest and scouted injured animals, taking them to his small clinic in Professor Seo’s office and healing them as best as he could. All of this was practice of course for when he finally fulfilled his promise to himself and became the best healer that he could be. He knew that like all of the more skilled healers at the tower, that one day he too would be summoned outside the castle to aid with healing in the battles against the tainted creatures that still ravaged their lands, and Renjun wanted to be ready. 

“Why the long face, Renjunie?” Jeno’s teasing voice brings Renjun back to their task at hand, walking down the corridor that led outside the tower for their first class of the day: The Elements in Nature.

“I just really hate the elements.” Renjun complains, lowering his head slightly with a shiver, “You either end up with horrible frostbite, painful third-degree burns, dirt in _weird_ places, or a lightning bolt upside the head that either knocks you out or fries that small percent of your brain that you actually use.”

“Cheer up, it’s not so bad.” Is Jeno’s reply as he grips the brunet’s shoulder with an amused smile. Renjun, of course, ignores him. He’d consider Jeno’s words when the other _wasn’t_ the top ice apprentice and probably the third best mage at the tower.

“I’m late! I’m late! I’m late! -“ A familiar, panicked voice calls out before a rush of blond curls attempts to come rushing past. But Jeno is quicker, reaching out a hand and snagging the hood of their crimson robe with a small smile.

“Chenle, class doesn’t start for another ten minutes.” He says with his usual calm demeanor. But the curly-haired blond, Chenle, merely snatches his hand away and stares wide-eyed behind his round, gold specs.

“Exactly!” He nearly shouts, gripping the front of Jeno’s robe and shaking the white-haired boy none too gently, “I’m late!”

“You do this every morning.” Renjun says dryly, but Chenle ignores him, letting go of Jeno abruptly to rush off, leaving the ice mage to stumble in his wake.

“Who does what every morning?” A tired voice inquires before a rather sleepy looking Jisung falls into step beside them. The tall blond is rubbing tiredly at his eyes, crimson robes somewhat disoriented as he drags beside them. At the sound of his voice, Chenle turns around, quickly abandoning his rush to class.

“Jisung!” He greets rather cheerfully, looking nothing like the anxious mess he had been mere moments ago. Instead, he looked somewhat nervous, smiling hesitantly as he comes to walk beside Jisung, who merely spares him a sleepy glance in return.

“I thought you were going to be late to class?” Renjun questions Chenle with an amused smile, but it quickly dies down when Chenle turns so only Renjun and Jeno can see.

“Foolish peasants, time is a nonexistent concept in the presence of the great Park Jisung.” He whispers darkly with an expression that rivals both professor Lee and professor Nakamoto. Then Jeno and Renjun watch in complete and utter awe as he quickly replaces the expression with a bright smile, hooking his arm with Jisung’s, “Come on Jisung, we don’t want to be late!”

“Hm?” Jisung hums out in reply. The tall blond allows himself to be pulled along by Chenle, still rubbing at his eyes tiredly as he murmurs, “I thought class didn’t start for another ten minutes?”

“Oh Jisung, if you’re not early, you’re late.” Chenle says with an almost wistful look aimed at the other boy, he glances back at Jeno and Renjun then, waving rather cheerfully, “See you guys outside!”

Neither Jeno nor Renjun wave back. Instead, both boys standing there completely caught off guard by Chenle’s shift from the spawn of satan to a ray of sunshine in a matter of mere seconds.

“I’m afraid.” Renjun whispers, looking after the blond with a frightened look.

“Aren’t we all?” Is Jeno’s reply as he too stands there, somewhat afraid. The white-haired boy shakes his head then, muttering a quiet, “The greatest threat to humankind is not the taint, but instead it’s an anxious mess with pasta limbs for hair.”

Renjun cracks a grin at Jeno’s reference to Chenle’s curly blond hair before the two boys resume their pace. They walk the rest of the way in silence, the only sound coming from their boots as they scuff against the marble floor. Their shadows bounce along the dim, dull walls as they go. Jeno, who had a natural prowess with the elements and all forms of magic in general, kept his calm composure. Renjun, on the other hand, was a bit of a nervous wreck. He was decent with the elements as he had mastered the basics at a normal pace and he even seemed to be particularly skilled with lightning but applying them to outside forces made him a bit anxious. What if he messed up? Then he would embarrass himself in front of the entire class. He would become the laughing stock of the entire Circle and then-

“Calm down.” Jeno says suddenly, as if he can hear Renjun thinking himself into a mental breakdown. The ice mage turns to Renjun with an assuring smile then, “You’ll do fine. You always do.”

“T-Thanks.” Renjun mutters, avoiding Jeno’s gaze. He wanted to appear confident but being the recipient of Jeno’s smile made him feel a bit light headed, which in turn made him feel even more nervous. Jeno raises a brow at the brunet’s response, fully prepared to question the other boy when the sound of more footsteps catches both of their attention. Jeno glances back, only to look as if he immediately regrets it. He quickly adverts his gaze back to the front, making Renjun frown. The brunet boy glances back himself then, only swallow thickly at the sight of two people he’d probably rather not see.

“Good morning Renjun.” Jaemin greets with his usual cheeky smirk. The crimson robes seemed to really suit him and his companion, Wong Yukhei, or Lucas as he liked to be called. Lucas was quiet, but not in as shy manner, it was more of a reserved, “if you’re not Jaemin or professor Kim Jungwoo, you’re not worth my time” kind of quiet. Of course, no one was really offended by this as he always went out of his way to at least give a last minute, evasive smirk by way of greeting, the very same smirk he’s giving Renjun right now (seriously, what was up with fire mages and all of their smirking, Renjun had to wonder).

“Oh, uh- g-good morning Jaemin.” Renjun replies, cringing at his slight stutter. Needless to say, with the way Jeno keeps his eyes locked forward, avidly avoiding any form of eye contact with Jaemin (or Lucas) and the way Jaemin still continues to stare holes in the back of Jeno’s head regardless, as if willing him to do just that, while Renjun walks between them, struggling to ignore the tension and Lucas simply looks on in boredom, oblivious to it all – things were extremely _awkward_. But Renjun cannot do awkward silences, so he clears his throat and aims a small smile at Jaemin, “Are you two headed to the Elements in Nature too?”

“Of course.” Jaemin replies with his same self-assured smile, but Renjun doesn’t miss the way his eyes focus on Jeno as he adds, “Can’t let the ice apprentices have all of the fun, now can I?”

Jeno ignores him of course, though Renjun notices how his shoulders stiffen the slightest bit. He watches then as Jaemin’s somewhat presumptuous façade promptly fades and for the briefest second he looks extremely irritated that his jab hadn’t even managed him a glance from Jeno. Lucas, finally paying attention for once, rolls his eyes at his friend’s reaction, though he too looks annoyed that Jeno is still ignoring Jaemin for this long.

“Come on, let’s go before we’re late.”  Lucas says, as if they’re not all headed to the same class. He slips his hand from beneath his crimson robe and grabs Jaemin’s, leading the other boy away quickly, and Renjun can feel his own heart tug at the helpless look Jaemin shoots Jeno before Lucas pulls him out of sight in the dim corridor.

“You know you can’t ignore him forever.” Renjun says once the other two boys are out of sight. He isn’t expecting a reply from Jeno, since the last thing he seemed to enjoy talking about these days was Na Jaemin. It was kind of funny how much could change in an instant. Just last year, Jeno actually couldn’t be quiet about the fire apprentice with the cute smile in his Primal Elements I class. Now, he wouldn’t even look Jaemin’s way.

“Can’t I?” Is Jeno’s murmured response that brings Renjun back to the situation at hand.

“Why would you want to?” The Huang boy replies, sighing at his best friend’s stubbornness. But when Jeno doesn’t offer a reply, Renjun almost grumbles, “If I’ve learned to forgive him, why can’t you?”

A small pause ensues in which Jeno looks conflicted. And Renjun thinks that maybe this time, he won’t reply.

“… Because what Jaemin and I had was different… _very_ different. And I trusted him. And that’s not something I want to think about before class, so let’s just drop it, okay Renjunie?” Comes the white-haired boy’s response finally. He tries to end it on a light note, Jeno does. He smiles, but it doesn’t crinkle his eyes like usual and Renjun doesn’t have it in him to even be offended by such a false expression. Instead, he allows Jeno to grab his arm and pull him close, “Let’s just focus on class, which I’m sure you’ll do fine in. I believe in you, Renjunie.”   

And so Renjun allows Jeno to ruffle his hair and rub his arm like he’s a child in need of comfort because he knows this is the other boy’s way of deflecting matters. Clearly Lee Jeno did _not_ want to talk about Na Jaemin, so Renjun decided to drop the matter, for now at least. Instead, he focuses his attention on the chill that graces his skin as he and Jeno step outside the tower. In the early morning, the dark, rocky surface of the outside is covered in fog, a pale sun evident beneath thin sheets of clouds. It was a grim sight, but there was a small buzz of energy among the students already crowded outside. They stood before a series of rather large, ominous rocks that towered over their small beings. And before the rocks stood a blond man with a tranquil smile on his lips and a brunet bearing a more pensive expression. The blond, upon noticing Renjun and Jeno’s arrival, perks up and gestures for them to join the rest of the class. When they blend in with the rest of the class, he smiles his tranquil smile once more and addresses the class as a whole.

“Good morning everyone, I am professor Dong Sicheng, I specialize in all things earthly. And this is professor Qian Kun, our lightning specialist and the towers main secretary.”  He introduces with a bright smile before motioning beside him to professor Qian, who merely offers an awkward wave, “I know many of you attended Primal Elements in Combat yesterday with professor Nakamoto and professor Jung. Rest assured that the two are fine. They have both been discharged from the medical clinic with minor frostbite wounds and a few first-degree burns respectively. I would also like to assure you all that this class is much less extreme. Out here, you won’t have to worry about your safety as today we will be having a very easy day.”

Jeno elbows Renjun then with a smile that says “I told you so.”. It makes Renjun himself smile, relief flooding him in waves. There their professor was, smiling so serenely and assuring them that they had nothing to worry about. _A very easy day_ , Renjun really liked the sound of that.

“Which is why, I brought these!” Professor Dong exclaims suddenly with a bright grin. And then, with the wave of the blond professor’s hand, the students watch in awe as the large, ominous rocks begin to shake before sinking into the ground beneath them, melding with the earth as if they always belonged there. And from behind every rock was something Renjun had only seen in his textbooks. Monumental in stature with sallow, grimy skin, drool accumulating in their mouths as they stood in all of their brutish glory: _ogres_ , and _several_ of them at that. Renjun takes in their beady, angry red eyes narrowed in aggressiveness and the sharp, tough horns extended from their head and he kind of wants to scream. One student does scream, a shrill shout from an already jittery looking boy that makes Professor Dong smile serenely before he assures, “No need to be afraid. With the help of Professor Lee, the ogres have been placed under a hex that only allows them to attack when you get well within their range. Otherwise, they will not be a bother. If somehow the hex manages to break and they do start to attack, Professor Qian and I will handle them accordingly. Now, onto your lesson for the day.”

Sicheng glances at professor Qian then, who seems to snap out of whatever momentary spell he had been under. Renjun noticed that he seemed to be searching the crowd of students for someone in particular only to turn up disappointed when he doesn’t spot them. But he quickly hides his disappointment with a small smile.

“As many of you are aware, the taint is a serious threat. Upon graduating from the Circle and maybe even before then, you will be sent to battle, whether that be as a support, a healer, or an active combatant, at some point of another many of you will come face to face with the taint in combat. With that being said, you will also have to be familiar with their stronger companions and how to go about defeating them. The ogres, as we have discovered, are one of the taint’s main sources of brute strength. These ogres have all been captured from battle, though they are under a hex, their strength and aggression remain unchanged. Today, in order to avoid any prolonged trips to the medical clinic, it is essential that you all treat this as what it really is: a real battle.” Various murmurs and hushed whispers sound among the students when professor Qian pauses. Though he quickly dispels the chatter when he adds, “The lesson today is utilizing the elements in nature in an active combat role. Using the elements, you all must either immobilize, incapacitate, or even terminate the ogre. Based on the decisions of professor Dong and I, you will either be pared with a partner we deemed suitable to you based on your skills and weaknesses. Due to the odd number of students, some of you have been deemed fit enough to face the ogre(s) alone. In the case that it appears you are unable to defeat your opponent, either professor Dong or I will interfere. But we warned, we won’t interfere until it is absolutely necessary. So please, try your best. When we call your name, please approach the intended ogre and begin the battle as soon as possible.”

Renjun felt as if he might have a heart attack. The more he stared at the monumental ogres with their sharp teeth bared, ready to rip him to shreds, the more anxious he grew. He knew this was an advanced class, but he still couldn’t help but to feel a little shocked. He was confident in his primal abilities, but not _this_ confident. He hoped he would at least have a partner. The Huang boy reaches for Jeno’s hand almost instinctively in his anxious state, hoping that by some miracle they would be partners. He watches nervously then as professor Qian glances at the clipboard that had appeared from thin air with a blank expression.

“Lee Jeno.” He reads of the first name on the list, successfully squandering Renjun’s hopes right then and there. No one looked shocked that Jeno seemed to be on his own. He wasn’t one of the top mage apprentices in the tower for no reason. But they did look a bit apprehensive about seeing him face off with an ogre by himself. Jeno himself gives Renjun’s hand an assuring squeeze, making Renjun shiver at the icy cold magic he can feel forming in the other boy’s palm. The white-haired boy’s face is calm as he makes his way through the mass of students to the very front. Sicheng spares him a bright smile and Kun a confident one. While Kun didn’t have any mentees personally, as lightning was an optional affinity if one couldn’t quite grip the rough standards of earth, he was the school’s secretary, which meant he was in charge of anything that Taeil didn’t handle: that meant class schedules, rooming assignments, admissions, and the mental and physical health of the mage apprentices. He was the school’s guidance and listening ear; and in that manner, he was a mentor to the entire Circle. Johnny often jokingly referred to him as “the second headmaster”, a title that stuck among students and faculty alike. In a way, his presence made the students even more nervous. Could they prove themselves in front of him? What happened if they failed (besides possibly being crushed by an ogre)?

While the other students appeared to be on the verge of nervous breakdowns, Jeno steps forward calmly and for some reason Renjun felt somewhat proud. He didn’t look like an apprentice but an experienced mage, there was no fear in his eyes as he approached the ogre. The cyan insignia on his crimson robe seemed to glow in the otherwise foggy morning, and his staff, _Shiver_ , rested well on his back, elaborately made of smooth walnut wood, ice frozen at its tip in the form of falling ice crystals. And then there was Jeno himself, approaching the creature steadily, eyes trained on his target as thin sheets of frost began to form in his palms. The students hold their breath as he starts to walk within the ogre’s range. The creature, standing very lax before, almost immediately grows alert, narrow eyes widening to reveal angry red irises. All it takes is another step from Jeno for the creature to let out a throaty, airy growl before it all but _charges_.

Jeno simply continues his own slow pace, allowing the creature to get close enough before finally holding his palms out. A steady stream of frost emits from his palm, whirling through the air before wrapping around the creature like a blanket. The ogre continues its attempt at a charge, though it visibly slows down as the ice continues to wrap around it’s form. The drool around its mouth ices over, mouth frozen in a snarl. Mere inches away from Jeno now, the creature draws its arm back in preparation to attack. But finally, the ice finishes encasing it, reducing the ogre to a frozen mass. Its arm is extended back, a foot stretched forward in its frozen state. It resembled a statue, now at Jeno’s disposal.

The ice mage allows one of his hands to drop, the magic extending towards the ground to form a platform of ice that shoots forward from the ground, bringing the teen up with it. With his other hand, the teen reaches back and grabs _Shiver_ from her strapped position. The icy tendrils at the end of the staff begin to glow a light cyan as Jeno swings her out in a right arc. As if gravitating toward the icy tendrils, the very ground beside the teen upheaves, dark rocks and hard dirt forming into a solid shaped fist. Once _Shiver_ is fully pointed at the creature, the fist-shaped mass of earth goes flying forward, colliding with its intended target. And then, the entire class and their two professors watch as the frozen ogre _shatters_. There Lee Jeno stood, looking unharmed and well, as shards of crystalline ice sprayed upon him from the ogre’s remains.

“Woah” Sicheng whispers among the awed gasps and loud chatter of the impressed students. Sicheng himself had to admit he was a bit impressed. He knew about Jeno’s prowess with both the ice and magic in general but seeing it first hand was a different story. Despite how impressed he was, he wasn’t really shocked, as competitive as Jaehyun was during their time as apprentices, it was no doubt that his mentee would be among the top mages at the tower. The blond professor smiles at the prospect, clapping in applause of the student’s amazing feat as he exclaims, “Good job, Jeno! You’ve really set the bar high for the day. I’m impressed.”

“Well done, Mr. Lee.” Professor Qian adds with a nod of approval, hiding just how impressed he truly was. In that moment, Jeno had really resembled Jaehyun in their apprentice days. Sometimes it amazed Kun just how much he could see of the mentors in their mentees.

Jeno nods, ears a bright read from beneath his bright white hair. He looked embarrassed more than anything else. The white-haired teen steps down from his platform, the ice melting as he steps away. He straps _Shiver_ back onto his back as he makes his return to the crowd of students. He passes an impressed looking Lucas, who’s giving Jeno an approving nod, and Jaemin, who’s smirking as if he expected nothing less from Lee Jeno.

“Jeno, that was _amazing_!” Renjun whispers, grabbing the ice apprentice by the arm and pulling him close with an excited smile. Jeno struggles to maintain eye contact, face flushed at the praise. But Renjun simply continues to smile excitedly before changing his tune and smacking the other boy on the arm, “Way to set the bar. You know, some of us can’t master advanced level spells overnight, prodigy frost.”

“Whatever you do will still be amazing.” Jeno tells the brunet, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the nickname. The ice apprentice smiles then, genuinely this time, as he reaches over and ruffles his best friend’s hair, “I believe in you, Renjunie.”

“I hope so.” Renjun mutters as Jeno returns his attention back to their professors. After taking a small pause to calm his nerves, Renjun decides to do the same. Professor Qian is looking down at his clipboard once more.  

“Next up is Zhong Chenle and Park Jisung.” He announces, making Sicheng perk up at the mention of his mentee: Zhong Chenle. Though he tended to be a nervous wreck at times and a complete prankster in others, Chenle was one of the more notable elemental apprentices. He seemed to control the very earth around him as if it were second nature. Just like Jaehyun with Jeno, Sicheng was proud of his apprentice, even if he wasn’t exactly the top mage in the Circle, he was still an apprentice to look out for.

The students and the two professors watch as Chenle’s eyes widen behind his gold specs. He looked nervous, about facing the ogre or being in the spotlight, no one really knew. Jisung looks on tiredly before finally trudging forward, grabbing Chenle’s arm and pulling him along.

“An outright defeat would take way too much work. Let’s just immobilize him.” Jisung tells Chenle followed by a tired yawn.

“R-Right.” Chenle mutters, though he doesn’t look too convinced that he can immobilize anything, let alone the giant ogre they were quickly approaching. The sight makes Sicheng shake his head. He had noticed that around Park Jisung, Zhong Chenle was reduced to even more of a nervous wreck, something he didn’t think was possible. Still, he maintains his smile and hopes his apprentice will bear some form of togetherness in wake of his impending trial.

Chenle himself feels as if he’s heading towards his death. The creature was nearly half the height of the tower, standing near the melted remains of Jeno’s defeated ogre. It’s angry red eyes lock on Jisung and Chenle as soon as the two teens come into view. Clearly the creature was struggling under the hex and anxious for the two boys to step within range, so it could finally move to attack. Jisung lets go of Chenle’s hand when the two are merely a few feet away from the ogre. The action makes Chenle swallow thickly. He watches then as Jisung approaches the ogre casually as if it were a classmate, only to drop down suddenly, long limbs melding into plush fur before the teen is replaced with an ashy gray bear. The bear rushes towards the ogre, letting out a low grumble as it tumbles forward. As soon as the bear is within range, the ogre lets out a loud growl before charging forward as well.

The sound snaps Chenle out of his momentary daze. He reaches back, releasing his staff from its straps with shaky hands. Gripping the red mahogany object, the blond boy slams his staff, _Heaven_ , into the ground, the amber jewel embellished at its very tip glowering as its magic spreads throughout the ground. Not a second later does the very earth beneath their feet begin to shake, the students gripping each other to steady themselves while Chenle himself holds onto his staff to keep himself up right. Dirt and debris flies from the ground from the force of the earthquake. The bear and the ogre now inches away from each other, both prepare to strike. The ogre draws its hand back, prepared to slam it down on the bear. But just as its hand prepares to grace Jisung, the bears furry limbs are replaced with wings and the animal shifts in a poof of smoke, leaving a bird to fly over the ogre’s shoulder. Seeing as its fist is left with nothing to connect with, the Ogre staggers forward, stumbling as it struggles to remain upright in the midst of the earthquake. One particular jolt sends it flying forward, gripping the loose dirt uselessly before it all but tips over. The ogre falls on it’s side, fully prepared to pull itself up.

But Chenle is quicker, extending his palms and allowing his magic to do its work. Just as the ogre gains a steady grip on the ground, prepared to stand again, the very rocks and dirt surrounding him starts to encase him. The creature begins to struggle frantically to no avail and is then buried alive by the earth. The last thing to be heard is a wail of distress before the last mound of dirt and rock closes the mass, leaving a mound of solid rock and dirt in the shape of an ogre on the ground. Silence ensues then, before Chenle blinks in disbelief. He couldn’t believe it. He had just buried an ogre alive! The blond boy lets out a laugh of disbelief as the bird comes swooping down towards him. The brown animal lands on his shoulder where it promptly transforms into a white cat, it’s soft tail curling around his neck as it perches on his shoulder.

“We did great, didn’t we Jisung?” Chenle says with a grin, reaching up to pet the white cat, only to stop immediately when the creature lets out a warning hiss. Still, the curly-haired boy’s grin remains as he yanks _Heaven_ from the ground and heads back to the crowd of students.

“A very good job!” Professor Dong exclaims, beaming at his student and mentees’ success, “Very impressive.”

“Nice work you two.” Professor Qian compliments with a small smile before addressing the class as a whole, “Remember, if you don’t feel confident enough to defeat the ogre, immobilization is still an option. Also, let’s try to keep Jisung’s success to ourselves, no telling professor Seo, please, I beg of you, not unless you want to be woken up tonight from shouts of ‘ _my only apprentice, Park Jisung, a true shapeshifting genius!_ ’”

Renjun snickers at professor Qian’s impersonation before he smiles at Chenle and the white cat perched on his shoulders, and Jeno nods in approval as the blond boy returns to his previous spot in the crowd. The earth mage is fully expecting Jisung to transform back into his human form now that they’re back in the crowd, but instead the white cat merely nuzzles against his cheek, pawing gently against his shoulder. The action makes Chenle’s eyes widen, a blush gracing his cheeks as he tries to return his attention back to the class.

“Alright, next is Huang Renjun-“ Professor Kun reads from the clipboard, hesitating briefly before adding, “And Mark Lee.”

Renjun scrunches his face slightly in confusion. Mark Lee? Of his numerous years at the Circle, he had never heard that name before. Renjun liked to that, no matter how vast and crowded the Circle was, he at least knew a majority of the apprentices in his skill range at least. Unless this Mark Lee person was new. But that didn’t make since because at that rate he wouldn’t be in such an advanced class. And it seems that this Mark Lee person isn’t even present, if the way the students within the crowd are all glancing at each other in confusion as if to say, “Do you know who Mark Lee is?”. Professor Qian dons an awkward smile, prepared to inform Renjun that he might be on his own when a voice calls out suddenly –

“Sorry I’m late!” Renjun watches a dark-haired boy comes rushing towards the class, crimson robe flowing behind him as he hurries. His hair was slightly messy, the ash gray emblem on his robe slightly disheveled – he looked as if he had just rolled out of bed. Renjun can’t help his intense stare as he takes in who he figures is Mark Lee. He eyes the staff strapped to the boys back: a smooth onyx with a blue topaz trapped in silver encasings at the end. The sight makes Renjun frown slightly as he found the staff to be very familiar, though he couldn’t quite place where he had seen it from before. The slightly out of breath boy, Mark lee, smiles sheepishly at their professors as he admits, “Sorry, I kind of overslept.”

“Well, it’s nice of you to join us, Mr. Lee. I’m professor Qian, this is professor Dong, the boy over there is your partner Huang Renjun-“ Professor Qian introduces with an amused smile, before motioning to the nearest ogre, “- and together you two are going to take down this lovely ogre.”

Mark’s eyes widen at the mention of the word “ogre”. The dark-haired teen adverts his eyes slowly, only to gulp nervously at the sight of the towering giant awaiting him, red eyes as feral as ever. The teen glances at the professors then as if to confirm that they’re serious. Professor Qian smirks in amusement at this.

‘ _You know, you’re just as quirky as he was_.’ Kun thinks, referring to the arcane mage of his generation who had also started out with the same wide-eyed stares during both his and Kun’s time as apprentices. In that moment, Mark greatly reminded him of the elder, the one who had disappeared and had as of yet to return. In order to avoid the bitterness he always felt when thinking of his old friend, Kun clears his throat.

“When you’re ready Mr. Lee and Mr. Huang.” He says, watching as Mark nods hesitantly before making his way towards the ogre with Renjun trailing unsurely behind him.

“So, what’s the plan?” Renjun asks when he manages to catch up with Mark.

“Actually-“ Mark starts, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish look, “-I was hoping you would be able to tell me.”

“Great.” Renjun mutters sarcastically, followed by a small sigh before he finally speaks up again, “I’m Renjun, a healing apprentice. From your insignia I can tell you’re general studies, that means you’re pretty good at everything, right? Just go with whatever element you feel the most comfortable with, of course.”

Mark nods, resisting the urge to inform Renjun that he didn’t feel comfortable with any of them. But that wouldn’t do either of them any good. Renjun seemed only slightly more confident than Mark was and that was saying a lot.

“Okay, so here’s the plan. Taking the brute out might be too much for us, even as a pair, so I think our best bet is to incapacitate it. By the way, we need to be careful. If we get too close the hex lifts slightly and the ogre-“ Suddenly, Renjun’s words are cut off by a very unceremonious growl, one that causes both teen’s gazes to snap forward to find that they were already well within range. In fact, they were standing _directly in front of the ogre_. From this close, Renjun can see the drool trailing from the creature’s mouth and he can smell the awful scent of rotting flesh emitting from the ogre. The brunet boy backs away quickly, heart beating loudly in his chest from being so close to such a tremendous being. Unfortunately, Mark isn’t as quick, and the ogre is swiping out his hand before either of them can blink, sickly hands wrapping around Mark before he hauls the teen up. Mark looks shocked, but Renjun is even more startled. Its as if things were happening much too fast for him to comprehend.

Realizing that the cards were now in the ogre’s hand and they were on the defense, Renjun grabs his staff, _Divinity_ , from the straps on his back. His mother had made it: the birch wood waving slightly with two mint opals pinned on each end. Gripping _Divinity_ for dear life, Renjun lifts his staff, allowing the magic from the opals to aid him in casting a spell. Professor Kim had taught it to him before he left to help with the battles. Renjun hadn’t quite perfected the spell, but he was desperate, and it was worth a shot. The spell was called _Lifeward_ , in which the healer casts a protective ward around their target and when the target was to take extreme damage, the lifeward healed and soothed much of their pain until the ward dispelled from receiving too much damage. It was considered an ultimate life saver, used in times of direness. And that’s exactly what Renjun felt: direness and desperation. He watches, heart beating erratically in his chest, as the ogre crushes Mark Lee in its hand, forcing a pained shout from the teenager. On the sidelines, Sicheng winces and Kun seems to be holding his breath, but neither make move to stop the battle. After all, the Circle was meant to prepare the mages for what they would face outside the tower and the taint was at the very top of that list. Stopping the battle meant coddling the apprentices and that meant inexperience that got them killed outside the tower walls.

‘ _You reminded me of him. Don’t let me down now, kid_.’ Kun thinks, resisting the urge to wince as he watches the ogre’s massive hands squeeze Mark. The creature growls once more, drool rolling down it’s chest before it raises its hand slightly with the teenager in it, only to slam its palm down brutally on the ground, jolting and cracking the very earth below. And Mark would have been crushed, if not for the Lifeward that seemed to spark to life, illuminous rays of gold light streaming from the cracks in the ogre’s fingers. The ogre grunts curiously, slowly removing its hands from the crushed hole it created in the ground. The students hold their breath, watching intensely for any signs of Mark Lee.

‘ _W-Where did he go?_ ’ Renjun wonders in panic, looking around for any sign of his partner. Unfortunately, the ogre growls in frustration at the loss of his initial target, and without warning, turns his attention to Renjun. The brunet teen barely has time to react before the creature charges at him. Renjun stares fearfully, unprepared for the monumental creature headed towards him. He felt completely caught of guard and with only seconds to react, his mind felt blank. He was doomed.

“Watch out!” A familiar voice calls out making Renjun’s eyes widen when Mark Lee appears beside him.

‘ _H-How-_ ‘ Renjun wonders, growing even more shocked when Mark grabs him and pulls him close, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration.

And that’s when Renjun feels _it_ , the magic forming around them. It was strange, Renjun was sure he had never felt this kind of magic before. But it was powerful, and when the brunet looks up from where his head is resting on Mark’s shoulder, he can see a violet, irradiated sphere that’s formed around him and his partner. And that’s when Renjun realizes just what kind of magic is enveloping them. But he refused to believe it, it just wasn’t possible. He grips Mark’s shoulder tightly as the sphere seems to be sucking the very energy from their being for its sustenance. All too soon, Renjun felt tired. But the realization of the person holding him kept his eyes open.

The brunet apprentice grips Mark’s shoulder tightly causing the other boy’s eyes to fly open. The two teens lock eyes, the ogre bringing its monumental fist down on the sphere just as it _bursts_. In the blink of an eye, massive waves of violet, magical energy are sent flooding from the sphere’s center as it bursts. The magic rips right through the chest of the ogre, the large creature blinking slowly before it falls backwards, the ground shaking from the force of its body collapsing in its now deceased state. Renjun grips Mark’s crimson robe helplessly as the two boys are sent flying back from the sphere, soaring across the foggy field in their fatigued states. A pained yelp slips from Renjun’s lips when his back collides roughly with one of rocks, the brunet teen falling to the ground in an exhausted heap.

‘ _Why do my eyes feel so heavy?_ ’ The healing apprentice wonders, blinking blearily. His vision had grown disoriented, and now all he could see was a sea of crimson robes in the distance, but the faces of his classmates were distorted. The brunet boy reaches out an arm weakly as he remains on his hands and knees, struggling to keep himself up. Renjun blinks before a pale hand comes into view on the ground before him. His mind wanders to his partner then and he quickly grabs the hand before tackling its owner. Mark, who was struggling to sit upright, goes down with ease. Renjun hovers over him, grappling to get the words from his mouth. He attempts to touch Mark’s cheek, but his hand slides weakly down to the grass. Finally, with what little strength he has left, he leans down in Mark’s face and grits out, “ _You_ , you’re the m-mage… the a-arcane mage. You’re the… arcane m-mage.”

His voice dies out as a mere whisper and he’ll never know if Mark Lee even heard him that day, because Huang Renjun only blinks once before he falls in an unconscious heap on top of an already unconscious Mark Lee. In the distance, Kun and Sicheng watch as Lee Jeno and Zhong Chenle with a white cat on his shoulders rush over to help their fallen friend, before their eyes stray to the unconscious forms of Huang Renjun and Mark Lee. Qian Kun sighs as two birds come flying in through the fog. A pure white dove lands on his shoulder, while the black, sharp-eyed crow lands on Sicheng’s shoulder.

“Perhaps we should have stopped the battle.” Kun says quietly, so that only Sicheng and their two new companions can hear.

“Of course not.” The white dove says, stretching out its limbs from its perched position on the professor’s shoulder, “I have everything I need now.”

Still, Kun felt guilty for some reason. Perhaps it was because Mark Lee reminded him so much of Doyou- No, shakes his head, he wouldn’t even think about the one who betrayed them, not right now, at least.

“Taeyong” The white dove voices suddenly, “It’s your turn now.”

The black crow doesn’t reply. Instead it lingers on Sicheng’s shoulder momentarily before lifting and flying off, disappearing into the fog seconds later. Kun watches them go with a sense of growing unease.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” He tells the white dove as Sicheng wanders off to calm down and guide the remainder of the class.

“I don’t.” Is the dove’s reply after a small pause, “But that’s what the past is for, to lead us to a much better future.”

And with that, the dove spreads its wings and takes flight. Unlike the crow, it flies above the fog, fading into the distance as it returns to the tower.

“If only it were truly that easy.” Kun mutters to himself, shaking his head to rid himself of the doubt that stemmed from Taeil’s words. He knew he should have more faith, but time was not on their side. History was in their hands again and they had to be more careful. An entire generation of mages and their leader, Mark Lee, was resting in their hands, and it was only a matter of time before they began to slip. Kun wasn’t sure how long they would be able to hold on. But they couldn’t afford to let Mark Lee slip through their hands as their old friend did. That mistake had been crucial and repeating it meant enduring another period of bleakness and hopelessness. And Qian Kun isn’t sure that this time they would be able to recover. No, this time they had to get everything right the first time. With tainted creates ravaging the lands and tensions rising with the knights they needed a hero, or they risked sending the land of mages into a pit of darkness once more.

And this time, there would be no second light. This time, their world would be lost _for good_.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who's coming in the next chapter :)))))


	4. The Fade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark is introduced to the Fade.

 

 

 

 

 

Slowly, Mark Lee opens his eyes. Though his eyelids felt leaden, the teen found himself forcing them open. And it _hurt_ , the sudden stream of light directly into his iris making him wince. It felt as if he had been trapped in darkness for centuries, body settled with the weight of slumber. But now, he felt wide awake, neck erect as he feels his body revive itself. The burning in his eyes as they grew accustom to light once more was nothing to the pounding in his head as his mind began to stir with memories. Suddenly, it jolted from a blank slate to him remembering everything: waking up to find out he had overslept through his first class of the day, rushing to said class, the outright fear he felt when his professor informed him he would be facing off with an ogre of all things, battling the ogre, the repulsion field he had conjured, and then the darkness that followed. Having been sent flying several feet on such a rocky surface, he figured he must have sustained some injuries. As such, he was expecting to have woken up in some sort of medical ward. But when Mark Lee finally regains feeling in the rest of his body, enough to slowly push himself up to a sitting position, the place he found himself in looked nothing like a medical ward. In fact, he didn’t even appear to be in the Circle tower anymore or even in reality, it seemed.

Was he dreaming? Mark runs his fingers along the illuminated rubble beneath him that made up the ground. Despite the hard, solid appearance of the ash cobblestone, his fingers felt as if they were brushing against air. How odd – he did not feel the ground beneath him. Instead, he felt _nothing_. The dark-haired teen swallows thickly before glancing around him. The sky before him was an irradiated sea of sage and instead of clouds, translucent mounds of rocks could be seen floating in their place. Despite the ground beneath him, Mark felt as if he were floating. He felt light, the pain he felt upon waking up becoming nothing but a mere memory. If this was a dream, it was unlike anything Mark had ever conjured before. In his dreams, he was victim to his mind’s own musings and fears. But this place seemed different. Here, he seemed to have free will. And he decided to use it to return to the Circle. Surely, the others were probably worried about his disappearance.

With newfound awareness, Mark rises to his feet. Disorientation continues to evade him, and he finds that once he’s fully standing, he can take his first step around the ether with ease. The ground beneath his feet felt light like he was walking on air. He stares forward into the endless sea of sage and wonders how he will escape such a place. How could one escape a place that they were unfamiliar with? Mark was unsure, but he knew that simply standing around was equally just as fruitless. And so, he figures that in his wandering, he will eventually find an escape of some sort. It is with this in mind that the teen begins to walk along the otherworldly spectrum, unaware of the set of eyes watching him in the distance. The dark-haired boy has only taken a few meagers steps when the strange wonder before him begins to alter.

Mark feels as if he merely blinks before the sage sky and translucent, rocky mounds are replaced with a scintillating sun brilliantly illuminating a cloudless sky. The dull cobblestone is replaced with hard, worn soil. Standing firmly in the midst of such scenery is a knight. Though the man’s back was turned to him, Mark could recognize the symbols of duty and faith embellished on the back of the man’s plate armor. A sword and a shield were held steadily in the man’s hands, his figure lowered in a defensive stance. Mark squints, attempting to see the enemy on the receiving end of the knight’s intensive gaze, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of sallow, grimy skin, beady, angry red eyes narrowed in aggression and the sharp, tough horns extended from the head of a monumental giant: an ogre. Almost instantly, flashbacks of his encounter with the very same creature begin to flood his memory. And it is his recollection of having stared in the face of such a monstrosity that sends pure adrenaline and fear coursing through him. Without second thought, Mark takes off, running as quickly as possible towards the impending battle. He did not have time to waste. He had to save the knight.

Suddenly, as if sensing his presence, the knight turns and looks back at him and that’s when Mark feels his heart drop. Familiar, warm dark eyes and an older, more worn resemblance of Mark’s own features stare back at him.

“Watch out!” Mark calls out desperately to his father. He’s afraid that the man might not hear him, but surprisingly, he watches as the older turns back to face the ogre just as the creature charges. Despite his uncertainty on whether he was truly dreaming, Mark felt utterly terrified. His father seemed poised and ready to take on the ogre being the skilled knight that he was, but even he could not take down such a creature with ease. Still, Mark found that no matter how fast he ran, he knew he would not make it in time to save the elder. No, he needed to find another way. Mind racing, the teen scrambles his mind for a back up plan, but to his dismay he could think of nothing. And so, he could only continue to run and brace himself for what was to come. Heart beating rapidly, the Lee boy looks up just in time to see the ogre draw it’s arm back, prepared to strike his father, who in turn is prepared to strike his own sword out in defense.

And then, everything _freezes_.

Mark blinks, stumbling to a stop as he takes in the scene before him. The ogre’s arm was still drawn back, red, beady eyes focused on Mark’s father, who’s own gaze was focused as he held his own sword back, prepared to strike the creature as well. There they both stood, paralyzed it seemed. And yet, nothing else had changed. The brilliant sun seemed to remain in its place in the cloudless sky, and the dull, lifeless soil seemed to still stretch on for miles. But now, the scene lacked movement. It almost seemed as if both the knight and the ogre were under a spell. But Mark hadn’t cast anything, at least not that he was aware of. The dark haired-mage looks around slowly then, in search of any other signs of life. Slowly, the Lee boy turns around, only for his eyes to widen at the figure he comes face to face with.

In a black robe they stood, head lowered slightly so that their face was obscured by their black cowl. Mark wanted to question them on what he was seeing, why they were there, and who the hooded figure was. But in that very same moment, he felt a certain languidness overcome him. The figure reaches their arms out, hands coming to grip Mark’s steadily paling cheeks (distantly he notes the dark tint to their insignia, though the color remains a blur). Such a simple touch sent Mark into his own form of paralysis. Much like the knight and the ogre, he found that now, he couldn’t move as well. Instead, he could only blink blearily as the figure cradled his face gingerly. With each passing second, it felt as if every bit of his energy and essence were being drained. And then, when he felt as if he might fall into the darkness once more, Mark could only watch blearily as the figure leaned in closer, their cowl covered head mere inches from the Lee boy’s before it came, a sharp whisper from the mysterious stranger.

“ _Revival_ ”

And then, Mark Lee’s world was flooded with _light_.

 

 

 

  
  
_______  
  
  
  
  


 

Park Jisung yawns, blinking tiredly afterwards. It had been an entire day since the incident with Mark and Renjun in the Elements in Nature and Jisung had spent much of that time in the medical clinic, waiting for his new friend to wake up. The two had apparently been knocked unconscious by the repulsion field created by Mark himself. Repulsion fields were common defense mechanisms among healing mages when they were surrounded by hostiles. However, the repulsion field conjured by Mark hadn’t stemmed from spirit magic, but rather, the arcane. Such a spell was considered to be rather high ranking, one that was learned in advanced arcane classes, and it was rare for any mage to master the arcane to such an extent because it was so difficult. No, the only way Jisung could make sense of it all was that Mark Lee was either an arcane mage or an absolute genius. But he couldn’t be an arcane mage, there was only one of those born in each generation of mages and even then, theirs hadn’t arrived at the Circle yet. If they did, their headmaster would have informed them of their presence. Perhaps Mark really was a genius, Jisung reasons that maybe intelligent people come in all forms, even awkward, clumsy messes like Mark Lee.

“Someone’s getting sleepy.” A cheerful voice teases, before a finger pokes at Jisung’s cheek making the blond roll his eyes. Jeongin is seated beside him on a vacant cot, the unconscious body of Mark Lee before them on another. The medical ward was quite empty save the healing apprentices who were awaiting professor Kim and his group’s return with the wounded knights. Entry into the medical ward was limited to the injured, healing mages, and the professors. Luckily, Jisung had been able to tag along with Jeongin, who’s task as a healing apprentice had been to revive their friend. The last twenty-four hours had been spent with Jeongin hovering over Mark’s unconscious form, healing the other boy as best as possible. The few minor scrapes and bruises he had sustained from being sent flying over the rocky grounds had all but been mended, now it was just a matter of waiting for the boy to wake up. Jisung wasn’t used to going so long without sleep, but Jeongin had no difficulties with the lack of rest at all, considering just how unpredictable healing mage’s schedules were. Professor Kim could call for them at any time, whether it be the dead of night or the earliest of mornings. It was meant to help them adjust to their impending roles outside of the Circle, in which they had to spend their time healing others no matter the time of day or duration. Adaption and sustainability were two very important qualities for healing apprentices, and Jeongin seemed to be well acquainted with them both. A serene smile is on his face, his long legs kicking absentmindedly against the cot as they wait, and the sight is enough to make Jisung smile and feel somewhat more energized as well.

“Do you think-“

Park Jisung has never considered himself one to be easily frightened. But when, in the midst of his question, Mark Lee’s once unconscious body _jolts_ upright, a frightened shout escaping the Lee boy, Jisung can’t help just how hard he himself jumps, clinging to Jeongin for safety.

“What’s this? You aren’t afraid of an ogre, but the sight of Mark Lee waking up from a nightmare has you nearly jumping out of your robe.” Jeongin snickers, tapping Jisung’s nose playfully, “Truly the bravest and greatest shapeshifter of our time.”

“Whatever.” Jisung grumbles, smacking his roommate’s hand from his face. In effort to ignore his flushed face, he masks his embarrassment with an annoyed look. But Jeongin sees right through him, shaking his head at the blond’s attempt to appear unaffected, though second ago he had nearly jumped through the ceiling. Jisung watches then as the dark-haired male jumps down from the cot, approaching a shaking Mark Lee with a certain calmness that only a healer could possess.

“Welcome back!” Jeongin beams at Mark, who in return appears to be trying to calm his heavy breathing. When he notices this, Jeongin places his hand gently atop the Lee boy’s, adding in a very assuring tone, “You’re okay. Everything is okay, see?”

With wide eyes, Mark watches as Jeongin pulls back the curtain concealing the two cots. He takes in the calm surrounding the medical clinic. Most of the cots are empty, save the few students being tended to. A majority of the healing apprentices are goofing off, throwing bandages on each other and pretending to be zombies, loud, rambunctious laughter bubbling from their lips in the process. There was no sight of his father, the ogre, or the hooded figure. The notion calms Mark, who’s breathing slowly evens out, but only slightly. He had returned to his body it seemed, but how?

“I thought you were unconscious.” A voice speaks up before Mark looks over to see Jisung seated on the cot beside him, brow raised suspiciously as he questions, “Then how did you just have a nightmare?”

“I… don’t know.” Mark admits, hand coming to clutch his head. Everything was so confusing. Jeongin is watching him with concern and Jisung with thinly veiled suspicion. But Mark found that he had no answers or assurances for either of them.  

“That’s because he wasn’t knocked unconscious. Instead, he teleported to the Fade.” Another voice answers before the curtain is pulled open even further to reveal an unamused Huang Renjun with Lee Jeno lingering behind him, smiling by way of apology for his friend’s intruding. Renjun’s eyes lock on Mark as he adds rather quietly, “I know, because I was sent there as well.”

“That’s … strange.” Jisung comments, Jeongin nodding in agreement, though Renjun doesn’t appear to be paying them much attention, instead keeping his eyes locked on Mark as if willing the other boy to explain himself. But Mark himself is too busy glancing down at his hands as the realization hits him.

“So, you saw the hooded figure too?” He asks finally, looking up at Renjun who frowns in return.

“A hooded figure?” He repeats, frowning deepening in a way that lets Mark know that the figure had only visited him. But why?

“This figure, what did they look like?” Jisung inquires, looking eager to start piecing together answers, “Could you see their face or anything else that might give us a hint as to who they may be?”

“Did they say anything?” Jeongin asks just as eagerly.

“W-Well, they kind of caught me off guard actually.” Mark admits, finding comfort in the warmth that seemed to emanate from being so close to Jeongin, and Renjun too, it seemed. Both apprentices seemed to radiate auras of light and serenity, which almost felt like a drug, entering Mark’s system in the most calming, lax series of waves. The dark-haired boy fights back the sudden sleepiness he feels to inform them, “At first, there was nothing. It was like I was in a dream world, the sky was endless and there were floating rocks, oddly enough. But then, things changed. There was a scene with my f- a _knight_ facing off with an ogre. And it scared me, because of what happened to Renjun and I. I ran and tried to stop it, to save the knight. But right before either he or the ogre could strike, they froze almost like they were paralyzed… They _were_ paralyzed, now that I think about it, and so was I. I turned around and there was this figure, the only thing I could make out was their black robe, a black cowl covering their face, and the insignia on their robe… I couldn’t see exactly what color it was, but it was dark as well. They grabbed me and that’s when I became paralyzed, I think. But before I woke up, I heard them say something… If I’m not mistaken, it was ‘ _revival’_ and then there a flood of light… and that’s when I woke up here.”

“You seem frightened by what you saw in the Fade.” Jeno speaks up for the first time, looking somewhat sympathetic, “You were definitely having a nightmare before they came. It looks like they saved you.”

“Or, they were testing him.” Renjun quickly dispels Jeno’s statement. The brunet bears a pensive expression as he explains, “Mark said there was nothing when he first got to the Fade. That means that a nightmare could have only occurred if casted. Conjuring nightmares in the Fade is a high-level spell, and though entropy isn’t as tough to master as the arcane, it’s a very close second. Performing entropic spells outside of the Fade is already hard enough, but to do so inside of the Fade requires an almost mastery level of knowledge, experience, and skill. Which means that the masked figure- “

“-is an entropic mage.” Mark concludes quietly.

“And there are only two entropic mages in this entire tower.” Jisung adds, looking even more confused than when they started. Brows scrunched in confusion, he mutters, “A professor and an apprentice, and both are powerful enough to cast nightmares, both inside and outside of the Fade.”

“You really think the apprentice is that powerful?” Jeno asks, looking somewhat skeptical.

“He has insomnia, which is common among entropy mages. But unlike professor Lee, he hasn’t lived with it for as long and is still struggling to cope. A lot of the time he has to come to the clinic to be put under a sleep spell so that he doesn’t go insane from being up all of the time.” Renjun informs them regarding the apprentice that Mark was still quite unfamiliar with, “Then there are the times that a healing apprentice isn’t available to put him under, so he has to rely on his mentor. And professor Lee’s solution is to send his apprentice to the Fade the only way he knows how.”

“Cast a nightmare on him.” Jisung supplies, realization slowly dawning on him, “And then reviving him last minute.”

“Precisely.” Renjun confirms with a small nod before looking at Mark with a hesitant smile, “Don’t freak out or anything, but you died as soon as the nightmare started, but it seems that whoever it was, they had no intention to kill you because they revived you in the end. When you entered the Fade, Mark, you were never alone, not even from the start.”

“I wasn’t alone…” Mark whispers, trying to piece together all of the pieces of the puzzle. The repulsion field seemed to have knocked both he and Renjun into a place called the Fade. The Fade itself seemed to be a world fueled by dreams, nightmares, and even the lack of both. Though it seemed hard to even pinpoint it down to even that. While in the Fade, Mark had assumed he was alone, but he had been wrong. Either professor Lee or his apprentice had been present, and they had casted a nightmare upon him, which seemed to have been fueled by one of Mark’s very own fears: his father getting hurt in combat. And they had also revived him as well, because as soon as the nightmare begins, it apparently kills its victim… which meant – Mark’s eyes widen as he blurts out in realization, “I died?!”

“Of course you did, silly.” Jeongin says with a cheerful smile before reaching over and pinching Mark’s cheek, adding in a sing song manner, “Welcome to the Circle of Magic, where its customary to die every other month or so. But no worries, as long as there’s people like Renjun and I, you’ll always come back! Right Renjun?”

“Sure.” Renjun adds with less enthusiasm, “You definitely have a good five percent chance of being revived.”

“That seems pretty low.” Jisung comments blandly.

“Are you being picky, mouse boy?” Renjun retorts, eyes narrowed at the blond in a manner that makes Jisung raise his arms in surrender, shaking his head quickly. Satisfied with the younger’s response, the brunet returns his attention to Mark, “I hope that answered everything.”

“Actually, I have a question.” Jeno speaks up once more, turning to his best friend, brow raised questioningly, “How do you know all of that, Renjunie?”

“Ah, well whenever Professor Kim is away, I try to focus on improving my other abilities, specifically with the elements. As lightning is my chosen affinity, I decided to ask Professor Qian for help. I think that he’s a bit disappointed that he doesn’t have a mentee of his own. He was very happy when I asked him to help me improve my lightning spells. But he is the circle’s secretary, and as such, he’s very busy. When he wasn’t helping me improve, I was following him around the tower while he took care of things.” Renjun explains, “Let’s just say that in one day of following Professor Qian, I learned more than nearly a hundred years’ worth of the Circle’s secrets.”

“That’s very… sneaky on your part, Renjun.” Jisung says hesitantly, somewhat afraid to be on the receiving end of the Huang boy’s glare again.

“Don’t let the cute face fool you.” Jeno says, ruffling Renjun’s hair in a way he knows annoys the other boy, a bright smile on his lips as he claims, “Though he’s a mage, Renjunie can be just as sneaky as any rogue.”

“How comforting.” Jisung mutters, this time braving through the glare Renjun sends his way to remind them, “But that still doesn’t explain whether it was professor Lee or his apprentice who put Mark under the nightmare or why they even did so in the first place.”

“It couldn’t be professor Lee.” Jeongin states confidently, “He may be a bit… _cold_ , but he wouldn’t put a student in harm’s way, right?”

“I know we trust them as mentors, but they are meant to prepare us for the real world, as well. And the world outside of the tower is very different. Though it may seem like it at times, they don’t always go easy on us.” Renjun says, though with his own mentor he couldn’t really attest to this. Though he was firm in his teachings, Professor Kim was probably the most gentle among the mentors. It was more so what the Huang boy had witnessed that other mentees had undergone that makes him murmur, “In fact, they can be quite harsh at times.”

“There was a fire apprentice once, who was so afraid of flames when he first came to the circle that professor Nakamoto trapped him in an inferno for hours until he was no longer afraid of the prospect of being burned.” Jeno tells them quietly. Renjun grips his friend’s shoulder sympathetically, realizing that for once, he had willingly decided to speak of Jaemin. Though it seems to be taxing enough even indirectly mentioning him, because Jeno ducks his head and adds in an almost whisper, “But that may have done more harm than good.”

“Believe it or not, Professor Seo wasn’t always so nice and he hasn’t always been my biggest fan.” Jisung decides to tell his own story, shivering as he recalls, “During my first ever speed training, he transformed into a huge spider and chased me through the woods. Eventually, I got caught in a web of his, where he kindly informed that he was going to leave me until I figured out how to transform into an animal small enough to escape. I thought he was joking… but after about twelve hours in the woods by myself, I finally learned mouse form.”

A small silence hangs over them in which the apprentices all think of their more novice days. Some bear fond smiles at the memories, despite how riddled with strife they were. Others think of just how far they’ve come. But ultimately, the circle was meant to prepare them to become the best mages they could be. Some would be sent straight to battle, others to aid in villages and cities, and then there were those who would master their crafts and become professors, teachers of future generations of the Circle. It was a lot, but to them all, it was well worth it.

“Man, this is all so sad and intense.” Jeongin breaks the silence with a pout, “If I don’t get an orange juice or something soon, I may burst into tears.”

Laughter emerges from the group then, and even Mark cracks an amused smile, despite the numerous questions that still remained unanswered.

“We should go get breakfast. I’m sure that if we don’t get some pancakes in Jisung soon, he may stop functioning entirely.” Jeno jokes with an eye-crinkling smile, “Can you imagine a world without the greatest shapeshifter of our time?”

“Oh no, what _will_ we do-“ Renjun says dryly, earning a glare from Jisung in the process.

“I’ll remember that the next time you need me to transform into a rabbit to calm your little bunny army, oh great bunny whisperer.” The blond huffs before jumping down from his cot. The shapeshifter stretches briefly before making his way towards the exit, “Since you all insist on getting pancakes, we should really get there before the line gets long.”

“He’s right, we did ‘ _insist_.” Jeno says, rolling his eyes and adding air quotes around “insist”, before following after Jisung, “We should get going.”

“Are you feeling well enough to move around?” Jeongin asks Mark worriedly, but the Lee boy just nods assuringly before turning until his legs hangs over the edge of the cot. He jumps down, landing on his feet rather unsteadily. Luckily Jeongin is there to grab his hand and help him. Mark shoots Jeongin a thankful smile then, one that Jeongin returns with a shy smile of his own. And just like that, the two turn and follow after the others. Renjun, who was still lingering around to witness the encounter, shakes his head before following.

 

 

 

 

 _______

 

 

 

 

Qian Kun’s eyes sweep the cafeteria before him, a pleased smile on his lips at the sight of the students laughing, smiling, and eating to their content. It was moments like these that he truly adored his position in the Circle. He adored each and every student and seeing them happy made him happy as well. That is why mornings were his favorite time of the day, everyone seemed so bright and content, positive and –

“That’s right eat up my beloved students, nutrients are essential to strength, which you all must have to become the great mages I know you all can be, but please remember, you’ll never be the greatest shapeshifter of your time, that role is already taken. No worries, however, kids, you can still be second best-“

Kun can’t help but to roll his eyes when he looks over to find Johnny standing in the mist of the students crowding the cafeteria in the form of a golden retriever. He’s prepared to head over there and rid the cafeteria of such a nuisance when someone grabs his arm and he looks over to find Sicheng standing there with a plate stacked above his head with pancakes.

“No worries, I’ll take care of it this time.” He says with a small smile. Kun nods, watching as the elemental specialist approaches Johnny, hovering the plate of pancakes in front of the dog. SIcheng’s smile widens as he teases, “Who wants a treat?”

“Oh no, Sicheng don’t do this to me-“ Johnny says, canine eyes following the plate of pancakes being waved in front of him before he dares to take a whiff of the food. Unfortunately, that’s all it takes for him to let out a rather loud bark before he’s following Sicheng and the pancakes directly out of the cafeteria without even realizing it.

Kun watches them go, letting out a sigh of relief when the pair are long gone. Things were back to normal once more, or so he thought. Just as he allows his eyes to sweep the cafeteria again, they land on the entrance beside him where Yuta has come marching in, his apprentices Jaemin and Lucas trailing after him like shadows.

“Seriously, do they ever stop smirking?” Kun mutters as he takes in the expressions on the trio’s faces. He watches as Yuta begins to make his way to the line for fruit when something or rather _someone_ seems to catch his attention. The fire mage seems to stop dead in his tracks, nearly causing Jaemin and Lucas to bump into him. Kun follows Yuta’s intense gaze to find that the fire mage is staring at none other than Jung Jaehyun, who’s sitting with a group of ice apprentices, syrup smeared around his mouth as he looks up with curious eyes and a mouth full of pancakes.

“Alas! It is my longtime rival!” Yuta exclaims, motioning for Jaemin and Lucas to fan him, to which they oblige. With the two apprentices fanning him, the dark-haired male clutches his chest dramatically, wearing a conflicted expression, “What ever shall I do?”

Jaehyun raises a brow in response, mouth still full of pancakes as he slides a spare plate stacked with the breakfast food towards the other mage. Everyone watches then as Yuta perks up suddenly.

“Are those chocolate chip?” He blurts out, rushing over and sitting across from Jaehyun to help himself to the plate of pancakes. Jaehyun rolls his eyes but hands his frenemy a set of eating utensils and a bottle of syrup. Meanwhile, Jaemin and Lucas roll their eyes at their mentor before turning and leaving the cafeteria altogether to head to their first class of the day.

Kun is then left to wonder why everyone at the Circle is just so _strange_.

“Did he just say ‘alas’? I know these are ancient times, but they’re not _that_ ancient.” A voice grumbles before the brunet professor glances back to find a disgruntled looking Park Jisung holding a plate piled high with pancakes.

“Ah, Park Jisung, might you have any updates on Mark Lee? I know you two are friends.” Kun says, stopping the blond apprentice in his path, “I was wondering if he has woken up yet. I haven’t had time to check myself.”

“Why do you want to know?” Is Jisung’s response, eyes narrowed in suspicion as he leaves Kun to wonder why he chose the most difficult of the apprentices to question.

“Because if you don’t tell me then I’ll tell professor Seo just how well you did in facing off with that Ogre the other day.” He threatens, smirking when Jisung’s eyes widen before he quickly blurts out –

“He woke up not too long ago. Now, we’re getting breakfast together.”

When Jisung nods in a random direction, Kun follows his line of sight. Seated at one table are Huang Renjun, Lee Jeno, Yang Jeongin, and Mark Lee. Renjun is picking at a bowl of strawberries, Jeno is melding the ice cubes in his cup into hearts, and Jeongin offers a grape to Mark, only to shove it in the other boy’s mouth with a grin unexpectedly. Mark looks startled at first, only to end up laughing once he’s swallowed the fruit.

“How nice.” Kun murmurs with a small smile. He was glad to see that Mark was fitting in and had made such a great group of friends. The brunet professor turns to Jisung with a serious expression suddenly, “You should be a good friend, Mr. Park, and remind him that he has Advanced Entropy in less than ten minutes.”

“Okay.” Jisung says, brows scrunched in confusion as professor Qian has already turned and begun walking away, black cloak sweeping behind him. The elder’s behavior was a bit odd and unlike him, but Jisung was starving and he wanted nothing more than to help himself to his pancakes. So, he decides to simply do as told, making his way over to the table where his friends sat. He plops down, forcing his way between Mark and Jeongin, successfully interrupting their miniature grape war. And just as professor Qian instructed, he turns to Mark and informs him, “You have advanced entropy in less than ten minutes. Good luck, try not to die again today, Lee.”

And with that, he stabs his fork into one of his pancakes and promptly stuffs it into his mouth. Jeongin coos, pinching his roommate’s cheek only to be ignored by the blond. This earns a pout from the dark-haired boy before finally, seeing as Jisung is too preoccupied with his food, he decides to entertain himself another way: by making pigtails in Jisung’s hair.

“You have advanced entropy today?” Jeno speaks up from the opposite side of the table, an embarrassed smile on his face as he stares at Mark, “Me too. I was planning on skipping, but since you’re going, I might as well go too.”

“He wasn’t going to skip.” Renjun is quick to expose his friend, “He’s too afraid of professor Lee to even think about not showing up, so I don’t know why you’re over here acting so brave, Jeno.”

Jeno glares at Renjun, but the brunet simply ignores him, finally deciding to eat his strawberries.

“Is professor Lee really that bad?” Mark asks, feeling somewhat anxious due to all that he had heard so far about the entropy professor.

“Is the sky blue?” Jeongin responds, “Is Park Jisung the greatest shapeshifter of our time?”

“I swear you all are just jealous because you can’t even transform into rats.” Jisung says, crinkling his nose in distaste before murmuring, “Not that any transforming needs to be done with this group.”

“I heard that.” Is Renjun’s response, eyes narrowed at the blond.

“Oh no, what are you gonna do? Heal my nonexistent wounds with aggression?” Jisung retorts, rolling his eyes at the elder. But before Renjun can come up with a retort of his own, the appearance of a certain curly-haired blond catches their attention.

“Good morning Jisung.” Chenle greets rather cheerfully, placing his carton of strawberry milk on the table before plopping down beside Renjun.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Jisung was the only one at this table.” Renjun grumbles, turning to look at the new arrival.

“Don’t you have an entire bunny army to be commanding?” Chenle replies, picking up his milk carton to take a sip. Unfortunately, Renjun decides to smack it out of his hand in that same moment. The blond’s eyes widen as he watches his carton hit the floor, strawberry liquid pooling from the container.

“I won’t tolerate bunny slander at this table.” Renjun says, watching as Chenle looks around quickly before his eyes finally land on someone.

“Professor Jung, I am being _bullied_!” The blond shouts at the brunet professor, who’s headed back towards the pancake line.

“Well, that’s nice. Chenle. I’m glad you all are getting along.” Professor Jung says, mind focused solely on food as he wanders off.  Chenle watches him go in utter distress.

“Come on. We’ll get you a new carton.” Jisung says suddenly, making move to stand from the table. He disrupts Jeongin’s attempt to finish the pigtails, earning a pout from the healing mage.

“O-Oh r-really? That’s okay, I’ll just-“ Chenle stammers out, only to be interrupted when Jisung rolls his eyes before grabbing the curly-haired boy’s hand and pulling him away from the table.

“I bet my entire life savings that by the time they get back Chenle’s face will be as pink as his milk.” Renjun says, Jeongin covering his giggle with his hand.

“Too bad we won’t be around to see it.” Jeno sighs in disappointment before directing his attention to Mark, “We should get going. Being late to professor Lee’s class is the last thing you ever want to do.”

Mark nods prepared to stand from the table when Jeongin grabs his hand suddenly.

“If you start not to feel well, the medical clinic will gladly welcome you back with open arms!”  He exclaims with a bright grin that reveals his bright colored braces.

“He should be fine.” Renjun speaks up, frowning slightly at the interaction. Jeno rolls his eyes at just how oblivious his best friend could be before grabbing Mark’s arm and leading him out of the cafeteria. They pass a table where professor Nakamoto is engaging in a pancake eating contest with an ice apprentice. The sight makes Jeno shake his head and Mark grin before the two disappear from the crowded cafeteria altogether.

The halls are somewhat empty as everyone is either in the cafeteria or their first class of the day. In the comfortable silence, Mark finds time to brace his nerves. He was still anxious about class with professor Lee, especially considering what happened in the Fade. But with Jeno by his side, he felt the slightest bit more confident. Content, Mark decides to enjoy the silence until he seems to remember something.

“You know, I never got to thank you for taking my place in the duel that day, Jeno.”

 “Ah, it was no problem.” Is Jeno’s reply with a bashful smile that makes Mark smile as well.

“If you don’t me asking, you and Jaemin seemed to be equally matched, so why is it that he forfeited so quickly?” Mark inquires after a small moment of hesitance. He didn’t think he was being nosy, just curious. After all, Jeno was still a mystery to him. And that mystery grows as he watches the white-haired boy hesitate.  

“Jaemin and I have a very complicated history. And he seems to have this hope that we’ll be tog- er, _friends_ again.” The ice apprentice answers finally, voice dulling down to a murmur as he lowers his gaze, “Let’s just say he did something that I’m not sure I can forgive him for… It’s just complicated, I guess.”

“I guess you could say you two are carrying on professor Jung and Nakamoto’s feud on in our generation.” Mark says, attempting to lighten the mood when he sees how somber Jeno appears. And it seems to work, because the light-haired boy looks over at him and smiles.

“I guess you could say that.” Jeno agrees with a grin before his amusement seems to get the better of him and he blurts out, “Though I don’t think they’ve ever kissed.”

Mark’s eyes widen at the confession. Jaemin and Jeno had _kissed_? That was a bit unexpected, especially coming from Jeno himself. Just how close had they been? And what had happened between the two that Jeno seemed to shut down at the mere mention of the brunet? Mark was even more curious now, but unfortunately his chance to inquire is cut short when Jeno, face bright red, blurts out in mortification –

“W-We’re here!” And then he all but scrambles into the classroom in front of them. Mark raises a brow, shaking his head in amusement before following. Classroom 34B, the door read. Inside, the room was dusky and spacious. There were no desks or chairs in sight, Mark was confused to see. Instead, the class stood in a crowd in the middle before a chalkboard where the words “Hexes, Curses, and Nightmares” were written. Mark remembered that those aspects seemed to be the focus of this particular class. From what he knew so far, entropy seemed to be the darkest among the different schools of magic he had seen so far. If he had been unsure of how to conjure up ice and fire on his own, he was definitely perplexed on how he was supposed to delve into the dark arts. He glances over at Jeno, but the other boy seems to be staring at someone else at the front of the crowd. Mark follows his line of sight, only to find Na Jaemin conversing with another brunet. As if sensing Jeno’s gaze, Jaemin turns around suddenly, staring directly at the white-haired male. Jeno quickly looks away, looking down with an embarrassed look at being caught staring. Jaemin smirks at this before turning back to his conversation. Mark smiles at the interaction, but his amusement is short-lived when professor Lee enters the room. The crowd of students seem to part almost immediately, making room for the entropy mage. Professor Lee’s face is blank, his hair is somewhat disheveled, and a pair of dark specs are resting on his nose, his black robes melding in with the dusky room as he makes his way to the front of the classroom.

“Welcome to Advanced Entropy: an introduction to Hexes, Curses, and Nightmares. As many of you all know by now, entropy is a direct attack on an opponent’s life force.  The focus of this class is to help you all better weaken your opponents in combat.” He explains, coming to a stop directly in front of the crowd of students. His eyes roam the crowd briefly, as if searching for someone. And Mark isn’t sure if his mind is playing tricks on him, but briefly he feels as if the elder stares directly at him before continuing his small lecture, “With that being said, today we will focus on hexes. Hexes are meant to hinder your opponents by any means and aid in bringing them towards their defeat much more swiftly. You have Vulnerability and Affliction hexes that weaken your opponent’s immune response to the various forms of magic, more powerful ones like Death hexes that cause the target to suffer from already failing health, making it that much easier to kill them. But today, we will keep our focus on a particular hex that can be useful to all mages and that is the Misdirection hex. The Misdirection hex hinders your opponent’s accuracy in their attacks, meaning, that for as long as the hex is active, every hit on their part will ultimately be a miss. In your first entropy class, you learned the spell _weakness_ , which hinders your opponent’s ability to attack. To cast a hex, you must alter _weakness_ into the hex that you desire.”

Mark watches intensely as the man unsheathes the staff from his back, placing it in a standing position in front of the crowd. Surprisingly, the staff seems to stand on its own when professor Lee takes a step back. The staff was made of rosewood, smooth at the bottom only to fray out at the top like the branches of the tree, the frayed ends curving around a wine-colored gem in the very middle. The gem appeared to be glowing, the object shaking the slight bit before a mauve essence shoots from it, startling the crowd of students when from the essence, an animated skeleton lands in front of the staff, bony feet crashing against the floor. The skeleton straightens, letting out a ghastly battle cry as it raises the sword in its hand. A shield is strapped to its back as well. The skeleton doesn’t waste anymore time then, locking its eyes on professor Lee before charging. The entire class watches closely as Professor Lee holds out one palm, a brilliant light extending from the limb. The irradiated ball of light strikes the skeleton directly in the chest, the essence absorbed by the reanimated creature. The skeleton appears unfazed by the action, drawing back its sword and preparing to bring it down on professor Lee, only for its arm to swing out last minute in a very inaccurate hit.

“Now that you all know what I want, I wish to see it with my own eyes.” Professor Lee says, turning away from the skeleton still attempting various attacks. The dark-haired professor waves a hand in front of the bare wall, leaving the students to watch as the wall itself begins to shake before several trap doors are revealed. The professor turns back to them then, “Each of these doors leads to a cavern filled with reanimated corpses, skeletons, and whatever else I decide to throw at you. In groups of four, you will brave them. I expect only hexes to be used, and nothing more. But if you get too overwhelmed, I will allow the use of elemental spells as an exception, but _only_ if you are overwhelmed. When you reach the end of the tunnel, I expect you to have mastered the Misdirection hex entirely. Now, please get into groups and choose the trap door of your choice. Good luck, and remember, I will be watching your every move.”

“Well, that’s reassuring.” Jeno mutters, causing Mark to glance at him as he continues rather sarcastically, “He plans to lock us in caverns with undead creatures, expects us to use nothing but one hex to defend ourselves, but don’t worry for your safety because he _will_ be watching.”

Mark can’t help but to snicker at this, though he isn’t the only one. Both Jeno and Mark look over just in time to see Jaemin and Lucas approaching, Lucas having been the one to have overheard Jeno’s sarcastic remarks.

“I don’t believe I’ve really introduced myself to you yet, I’m Na Jaemin and this is Wong Yukhei, but he prefers to go by Lucas.” Jaemin directs his attention to Mark, an easy-going smile on his face, “Both of us are pretty good at entropy, which isn’t uncommon among fire mages, really. If you want to get through the cavern successfully, you should definitely partner with us.”

 “No way.” Jeno declines and before Mark can so much as blink, the ice mage is grabbing his arm and pulling him away from Jaemin and Lucas, “We’ll manage the cavern on our own.”

“Sure thing. Go right ahead.” Jaemin replies pleasantly, stepping aside and motioning towards the nearest trap door. Jeno narrows his eyes at the brunet before doing just that, pulling Mark along towards the trap door. However, they’ve only just taken a few steps, when from seemingly nowhere, the skeleton from before appears, swinging its sword wildly. Professor Lee’s hex seemed to have been dispelled from the creature, leaving it free to attack violently once more. The skeleton sets its sights on Mark and Jeno amongst the crowd of scattering students. Jeno quickly let’s go of Mark’s arm, seemingly frozen in a moment of unforeseen fear. Mark himself is just as unsure, the two teens watching as the skeleton gets closer, sword drawn back in preparation to strike. Behind them, Jaemin rolls his eyes before extending his palm, the same brilliant light they had witnessed earlier extending from the limb towards the skeleton, hitting the reanimated creature in the chest, where it absorbs the light essence. And then, just as it swings its sword down on Mark and Jeno, its arm shifts last minute, slicing the space between the two boys. Mark looks back, taking in the small smile Jaemin gives him before he turns around to look at Jeno expectantly.

“Fine.” Jeno seems to give in rather quickly, looking over to give Jaemin an even look, “We can be partners just this once, but once we get through these caverns, that’s it.”

“That’s not a very friendly way to start a partnership, Jeno.” Jaemin says, making his way over to the light-haired boy and slinging an arm across his shoulder.

“Whatever, let’s just go.” Jeno grumbles, shrugging the brunet’s arm off, an action that makes Jaemin roll his eyes, but follow after Jeno nonetheless when he approaches the trap door.

“Ah, those two give me a headache.” Lucas groans, rubbing his temples with a stressed look, “Seriously, how hard is it to just kiss and make up?”

“Is that even a possibility for those two?” Mark wonders, watching as the door the trap door slides open once they’re well within range. Jeno attempts to step in first, but Jaemin quickly pulls him back to go in first and lead the way. Jeno rolls his eyes at the action, though he looks relieved that he doesn’t have to be the first to face the creatures.

“Once I learn how to cast a Forgiveness hex on Jeno, it will be.” Lucas says, exchanging smiles with Mark before the two steps through the trap door entrance.

A second later, the trap door slides closed, submerging them in darkness. Suddenly, light appears in the form of a small flame that emerges from Lucas’ palm. Using his palm as a torch, Lucas leads the way, Mark following closely behind as they attempt to catch up to Jaemin and Jeno. Luckily, the two aren’t that far ahead and after a bit of walking, they’re able to spot the two. Like Lucas, Jaemin has a small flame formed in his palm that he’s using to light the way as well. Jeno is behind him, catching himself several times from clinging to Jaemin’s arm. The group walk in silence, the only sound being their footsteps along the rocky cavern. The place seemed spacious enough, almost like a cave. There was the faint dripping of water from the ceiling that seemed to echo in the cavern faintly as well. Mark himself felt on edge, heart straining in his chest as a result of his anxiety. He couldn’t help but to expect a skeleton or another reanimated creature to come emerging from the shadows at any minutes. But after several minutes with no such incidents, it seemed that something was off.

“That’s strange. Why haven’t we encountered anything yet?” Jaemin speaks up, voicing all of their thoughts.

“How are we supposed to perfect the hex with nothing to practice on?” Lucas adds, looking around the endless darkness surrounding them somewhat helplessly.

“Maybe they’re all at the end. He really emphasized the prospect of being overwhelmed, so maybe that’s exactly what he plans to do at the end, just have them all attack at once.” Jeno suggests, causing Jaemin to glance back at him.

“That sounds exactly like something he’d do.” The brunet says, turning back to the path before them, “In that case, we should-“

Unfortunately, Jaemin’s words are abruptly cut short when the entire cavern begins to shake. Mark immediately loses his balance with just how hard the very ground beneath them quakes, the walls crumbling from the force. Lucas is sent crashing to his knees when he stumbles forward and Jaemin reaches out just in time to prevent Jeno from falling as well. Mark himself teeters around as the ground convulses, similar to that of an earthquake. His ears were filled with the sound of crumbling rock and the sound of his own rapidly beating heart. What was happening? The dark-haired teen struggles with the force of the quaking rocks to look up just as the rocky ceiling above them began to cave in.

 “Mark!” Jeno shouts just a mass of rocks come crumbling from the ceiling, piling up and successfully walling off the space between Mark and Lucas and Jeno and Jaemin. With just Lucas left, Mark desperately begins to stumble his way towards the brunet. But he only makes it so far before another portion of the crumbling ceiling caves in, successfully separating him from Lucas as well. It was Mark’s hope that once the earthquake subsided, the others would use their ability with earth spells to move the rock and reunite them once more. For now, he needed to survive the earthquake itself. Not a second after he realizes this, the earthquake begins to subside, the shaking dying down slowly but steadily. Mark tries to keep himself calm, as panicking would only make matters worse. When the shaking has subsided to tremors, he turns back to the walls of rock.

“Jeno? Jaemin? Lucas” He calls out hopefully, hoping that despite the walls separating them, they might be able to communicate. But the lack of response he receives after several minutes tells him otherwise. To make matters worse, Mark blinks several times to make sure his eyes aren’t deceiving him. And then, he watches as Byzantium luminescence began to spread along the rocky walls surrounding him, illuminating the dark cavern. Confused, Mark turns around slowly only for his heart to sink at the sight of the figure standing in the middle of the cavern. There they stood: black robe and black cowl obscuring their face, it was the figure from the Fade. Except this time, their hand rested on a staff that seemed to be the same exact make as professor Lee’s except the rosewood was replaced with rough, dark wood, which provided an even greater contrast with the wine-colored gem glowing brilliantly among the frayed end.

“It’s you.” Mark whispers, not expecting a response from the figure.

“Oh, you actually recognize me outside of the Fade?” Their voice is different from the ghastly whisper it had been reduced to in the Fade. Now, it seemed to be full of life, and Mark could even detect the hint of confidence within it. He watches as the figure tilts their head slightly, “It almost makes me feel bad for what’s to come… _almost_. Anyway, courtesy of my mentor, I’ve been assigned the wonderful job of testing you. I may not be as tough as an ogre, but I like to think that I’m pretty close. With that being said, don’t hold back, Mark Lee.”

And then, they look up and push their cowl off. Mark is unfamiliar with the boy before him and his expressive brown eyes and soft, rust colored brown hair falling into his face. The boy stares back, clearly amused by his confusion. But he doesn’t linger any longer. Instead, the unfamiliar brunet grips his staff, picking it up before _slamming_ the bottom half against the ground. Almost instantly, the force sends Mark flying back, the dark-haired teen wincing as his back hits the rough rock before he slides down to the ground in a pained heap. The Byzantium luminescence has returned, shooting from the wine-colored gem in waves. And from the waves emerge the same skeletons from before, _several_ of them, letting out ghastly groans as they get used to their summoned states. Mark himself cradles his injured back as he watches the animated creatures with their swords and shields strapped to their backs.

“Since I’m giving you the honor of facing off with the tower’s only entropic apprentice, then I guess you should know my name as well.” The boy says, returning Mark’s attention to where he’s standing in the midst of the reanimated skeletons. The brunet boy pauses to wave his palm before finally admitting with a smirk, “I’m Donghyuck.”

And then, Mark Lee watches as the army of summoned undead begin to _attack_.

  

 

 

 


	5. The Weight of Entropy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark learns about the harrowing trials of entropy mages.

 

 

 

 

 

“Are you okay?”

Jeno tries to ignore the flushed state of his face as he stares directly into Jaemin’s eyes. The fire mage is holding tightly to Jeno’s wrist with one hand and holding the other out as a source of light. The flames dancing in Jaemin’s palms illuminate the concerned look in his eyes as he stares at Jeno. It makes Jeno nervous being so close to the other – being alone with Jaemin. There was nothing to distract him, and if he wasn’t careful, a few seconds longer of being around the other boy alone and Jeno would find himself forgiving Jaemin before he was ready. Though he didn’t want to admit it, Jeno’s resolve was practically nonexistent when it came to Jaemin, and unfortunately, Jaemin knew this.

“Jeno?” The fire mage repeats, squeezing Jeno’s hand gently, bringing the ice apprentice from his thoughts.

“What just happened?” Jeno wonders, glancing at the wall of rock that had just separated them from the others.

“I wouldn’t put it past Professor Lee to want to make his little test even more interesting by putting us into groups and then separating us.” Is Jaemin’s theory that Jeno would have believed in if it weren’t for the nagging suspicion in the back of his mind that there was much more to it.

“We have to find Mark.” Jeno says suddenly, walking further into the dark cavern. His hand slips from Jaemin’s in the process and he misses the frown the brunet bears at the action, but Jeno is too busy rambling to notice, “I don’t think he’ll be able to manage on his own.”

Jaemin scoffs at this, an action that makes Jeno look back curiously at him.

“Remember that repulsion field Mark created that blew an actual hole in an ogre?” Jaemin reminds his white-haired companion with a scoff, “He should be fine.”

“Well, what about Lucas?” Jeno asks after a small pause. Jaemin always had the ability to remain calm in situations where he would freak out. It was moments like these that he really felt grateful for the brunet.

“He’s probably having a field day.” Jaemin replies, an amused smirk on his face as he speaks of his fellow fire apprentice, “He’s been dying to try out the new spells he’s learned but unfortunately hasn’t mastered yet. With that being said, this place will be going up in flames in no time. We should get out of here Jeno, I’m sure we’ll see both Mark and my pyromaniac counterpart outside.”

Jeno hesitates. Would Mark be able to handle the cavern on his own? He thinks of how unsure and almost frightened Mark had seemed in the Elements in Combat when it came time for his duel with Jaemin. But then, he’s also reminded of the repulsion field the Lee boy has conjured during the Elements in Nature, an _arcane_ repulsion field, one that required a serious amount of willpower. He thinks of how the repulsion field burned through a giant ogre, and he figures that Jaemin is probably right. Mark would be fine.

“You’re right. We should go.” Jeno says finally, watching as Jaemin’s looks outright shocked that Jeno is agreeing with him. Jeno cracks an amused smile at the other mage’s shocked expression, but then Jaemin seems to realize his slip and quickly smiles to hide his embarrassment.

“I’ll lead the way.” The fire mage offers, earning a grateful smile from Jeno.

Though he was confident in his abilities, Jeno didn’t feel confident enough to face off with the undead head on. And entropy just so happened to be one of the more difficult fields of magic for him. But for fire mages like Jaemin and Lucas, entropy was like a second nature. It wasn’t uncommon for a fire mage to be skilled in the art of entropy or for an entropic mage to master fire as their choice of elemental magic, though no one really had an explanation as to why the two schools of magic were so close. The flame called for passion, confidence, and sometimes even anger. But entropy took spirit and energy, it took a connection with the darker spirits from the Fade.

These spirits weren’t like those befriended by healing mages, the friendly ones that extended their life force for mages to revive others, or those befriend by shapeshifters mages, ancestral, animal-shaped spirits. The spirits favored by entropy mages were demanding, cryptic and they were the reason that entropic mages developed insomnia; when they discovered that a mage had favor for entropy, the spirits became restless and demanded the mage’s presence in the Fade more. This is why entropic mages had a hard time sleeping outside of the Fade, and much of their dreams in the real world were plagued with nightmares, the spirits wished to frighten them back to the Fade, where they could rest and meditate in the presence of the spirits.

There were rare cases as well when non-entropic mages who were able to master the dark arts of entropy became entrapped by the spirits. Jeno had heard from his mentor that professor Nakamoto was one of those people. Despite his calling to the flame, Professor Jung had said that professor Nakamoto was one of the top apprentices in their entropy classes. Yuta’s appreciation for entropy allowed him to get close to Lee Taeyong, and perhaps it was the only reason the two professors became close and still remain somewhat close even now: their mutual fall to insomnia and the wonders of unrest. Jeno remembers how much praise Jaemin had received for his prowess with entropy, how even professor Lee seemed impress by his abilities, even when professor Nakamoto would go bragging around about his extremely talented protégé.

But once, Jaemin had confided in Jeno that though he was enjoying the praise, he was actually afraid. “I don’t want to lose my ability to sleep, to _dream_ – that means everything to me.” Jaemin had admitted to him one night when the two had decided to sneak out of the Tower to stargaze. Jeno remembers how cold it had been that night, how Jaemin had thrown a blanket over them both as they sat at the very top of the Tower, using his magic to insulate the soft material with warmth, how Jaemin’s warm hand had gripped his cold one and just how far the Knight’s Tower had seemed, how far the rest of the world had seemed from the two of them. Jeno smiles then, one fueled by his nostalgia and the warmth he always felt when he thought of that moment.

“What’s got you smiling over there?” An amused voice asks making Jeno blink, face flushed from how strange he must have looked, smiling fondly at the darkness. Jaemin, who’s only a step or two ahead, looks back at him with a pleasant smile.

“Jaemin?“ Jeno starts unsurely, because he wanted to limit their interaction as much as possible in fear of letting his guard down, but he figures that one little memory couldn’t do that much damage, so he presses on, “Do you remember the night we went stargazing?”

“Yes” Is Jaemin’s instant reply that lets Jeno know that he probably never forgot. Jaemin stops suddenly, making Jeno stop behind him as well. He peers at the brunet then to find Jaemin looking down when he admits, “I dream about it a lot, actually.”

“You still dream, Jaemin?” Jeno asks, because he always wondered, in the time that they have spent not speaking, whether the spirits of entropy had decided to claim Jaemin for themselves, whether he had become their next victim.

“I still dream, Jeno.” Jaemin replies with a bright smile that Jeno finds himself unable to look away from. He truly missed Jaemin and his confidence and ability to be assuring without really trying. Jaemin’s smile grows a bit disheartened and he lowers his gaze to admit, “Dreaming was the only way I could talk to you after everything that happened. Dreaming is the only way I can still spend time with you. When I dream, I am teleported to the Fade. The spirits conjure dreams for me there, dreams of things that I miss like life in the city, my old home … and things like _you_. The Jeno in my dreams still likes me… he still thinks I’m a good person.”

Silence fills the small cavern then in which Jeno hesitates. He had to be very careful about his response. He didn’t want to forgive Jaemin too quickly – but ignoring him was getting more difficult with each passing day, especially since he really missed Jaemin. He wanted to be able to cling to the other boy again, to keep Renjun up at night rambling about how much he liked the fire apprentice, he wanted to sneak out of the Tower and go stargazing, to fall asleep outside and wake up with Jaemin trying to start a fire with a fireball spell. But Jeno had to be very careful. Things were fragile, he had to tread lightly. But he really can’t help it when he looks over to see the heartbreak and sadness on Jaemin’s face. It’s enough to make Jeno take the smallest step closer to the fire apprentice and blurt out-

“What I told you that the Jeno from your dreams and the one standing before you aren’t that much different?”

Jaemin looks up then, a hesitant, unsure glance at the boy beside him. Jeno smiles encouragingly, though he wasn’t sure how he felt. He just knew that in the darkness he wanted to be closer to Jaemin, even it was just an instinct. He needed to feel closer to Jaemin again.  

“Jeno-“ Jaemin starts hesitantly, returning his gaze to the ground when he steels on unsurely, “I think we should talk.”

Jeno’s smile widens, but before he can speak a loud, ghastly groan emits in the darkness, letting the ice mage know that they were no longer alone.

 “That isn’t exactly the reply that I was hoping for, Jeno.” Jaemin mutters, eyes still glued to the ground in his fear of rejection.

“That wasn’t me.” Jeno tells him, rolling his eyes when Jaemin looks up and then around in confusion. The ice apprentice looks around the darkness himself, murmuring to the brunet quietly, “Looks like we might finally get a chance to test out our hexes.”

From the shadowed darkness more groans begin to emit, echoed whaling of the undead that makes Jeno struggle not to cover his ears. And then, he sees them. The first thing to peek out from the darkness is a bony, skeletal finger, its sharp, cornered end pointing directly at them before its owner, an animated skeleton with barren eyes, a sword in his other hand, and a flimsy shield strapped to its back. Beside the animated creature, more like him appear, some skeletons groaning as their bones rattle, others undead, hunched over in their spectral states. Jeno looks around them then, watching the army of undead surround them, and he realizes that Jaemin alone won’t be able to rely on mere hexes to pave a way out for them. Jeno would have to help, though his entropy magic was severely lacking, but even that wouldn’t be enough, he realized. They weren’t surrounded, they were _overwhelmed_.

“Forget the hexes.” Jaemin says, voicing Jeno’s exact thoughts. The brunet apprentice takes in the sea of enemies surrounding them before glancing at Jeno with a slightly mischievous smirk, “What do you say we handle this our way?”

Jeno looks away from Jaemin’s smirking face to the army of undead. The skeleton has drawn its sword, and has the weapon aimed directly at them, mouth contorted in a silent battle cry. Calmly, Jeno uncurls his fist, revealing the frost that had accumulated in his palm. The white-haired boy holds out his arm then, rivaling the skeletal warrior. Crystalline sheathes of frost envelope Jeno’s hand, wrapping further up his arm in steady pulses.

“Lead the way.” He tells Jaemin. The brunet nods in response, and that’s when Jeno feels the warmth grazing his skin.

Jaemin raises his arm then, extending his hand to reveal the flames dancing in his palm. The flames shoot forward in an scorching inferno that illuminates the cavern. Jeno steps forward then, the ground beneath him freezing over, causing him to slide atop its smooth iciness before he too extends his palms, icy tendrils darting forward, curling into the scorching inferno. Ghastly groans emit from the army of undead, their skeletal leader’s eyes flickering with the faintest hint of despair as it watches with empty eyes as the storm of fire and ice begins to envelope them, the dim cavern consumed by the elements in a blinding light.

 

 

 

 

 

 _______________

 

 

 

 

 

Qian Kun cannot help the utter concern coursing through him as he watches the turn of events happening in the cerulean orb on the desk before him. He can see quite clearly Lee Donghyuck’s amused smirk, the army of undead rising to their feet, and Mark Lee’s panicked expression at the sight – all of which spelled nothing short of a complete disaster. Still, when he looks around his office at the other witnesses to the showdown about to occur, he finds that he’s the only one who appears to be concerned.

“Is this really a good idea?” He blurts out finally, watching as the others practically have to tear their gazes away from the orb.

“If things get too bad, I’m sure Taeyong will intervene.” Ten is the first to speak up, though the tone of his voice indicates that he doesn’t really believe in his own words.

“Or not.” Johnny scoffs, visibly displaying the skepticism that had been projected in the dark-haired male’s voice, “You really think Taeyong cares if the kid lives? He probably wants him dead just as bad as he wants Doyoung dead.”

“I don’t think that’s true.” Kun says, suppressing a frown. But why did he feel skeptical as well? Despite Doyoung abandoning them, none of them truly hated him. And, none of them wished death for him as well. In fact, there was a lingering hope that one day he’d return. It was foolish of them to cling to such a slim possibility, but they never stopped yearning for the past – maybe that was why shaping the future seemed to be that much more difficult.

“We’d better not take any chances then, right?” Johnny replies, not quite liking the anxiousness that had been perturbing him lately, “The only thing holding an entropy mage back is their insomnia – and that is a very scary thought. Taeyong hasn’t been the same since Doyoung left, him getting passed off for headmaster in favor of Taeil added to that. And now the arcane mage of the future generations has showed up, the person who _would_ have been Doyoung’s apprentice had he been here to teach the boy.  At this point Taeyong is like a sitting dragon… give him enough power and this entire tower will go up in flames.”

Sadly, Johnny’s words seem to ring true because both Kun and Ten find themselves standing there in the silence, struggling for proper responses. Kun frowns, fumbling for words that don’t quite seem to be there. The more rational side of him, the one that was usually always right said that there was some truth to Johnny’s words. Taeyong really was a sitting dragon. Back when they were apprentices, Doyoung and Taeyong were friendly rivals – they liked to tease each other and duel because entropy and the arcane were so closely tied and almost equally powerful, to a degree. But Doyoung always found a way, whether it be by the grace of a last-minute spell or luck even, he always found a way to win. And Taeyong was always bitter, but he took it in stride, as encouragement to continue to master entropy. And after all, it had only been a friendly rivalry as the two could often be found in the library pouring over books of spells together and Taeyong had made Doyoung promise that they would become professors together, to help teach future generations after they mastered their own crafts. That was before the Circle of Magic was liberated, before the tower had been rebuilt.

But then, when the knights turned their weapons on the mages and the mages decided to finally fight for their freedom in one of the bloodiest rebellions the land had ever seen, Doyoung had been nowhere to be found. But Taeyong, no matter how angry or betrayed he had felt about his friend’s disappearance, had stayed and fought with the others. It was the most difficult time, pulling the mages from the knight’s stronghold and having to fight off those who were originally meant to protect them. They lost faith many times, and at one point, it felt as if all had been lost. But then the appearance of tainted creatures with intentions of ravaging them all – mage or knight, man or warlock, changed everything. The tainted creatures had frightened the knights – they were especially horrified to find out how difficult it was to defeat them with a sword and shield alone. Bitterly and with wounded pride, after losing hundreds of men in days, they finally decided to hear the mages out. This began the first of a series of peace talks and many compromises.

Seeing as they no longer had homes, the mages wanted to build a new Tower, one where they could practice their magic without fear of persecution or restraint. It took a lot of convincing before the Knight Commander agreed, only on the grounds that the knights be able to keep an eye on them from the exterior and that the uses of certain types of magic be limited. The mages could not even allow themselves to be upset about the rules, they merely threw themselves into the open and rejoiced – they would have a new Tower, but this time, it would be theirs entirely. Kun remembers the intense relief, unlike anything he had ever felt. He remembers how Johnny had gone running around the forest they had been hiding in, yelling that they finally had something of their own, Jaehyun had simply sat in disbelief before the brightest smile they had ever seen blossomed on his face, Taeyong had still been in weary, believing it to be some sort of trap, and Sicheng and Yuta had already started rattling off plans for the tower. Ten had gone back to his (elven) clan when the rebellion broke out, but when they sent him a letter about the tower being rebuilt, he had promptly returned to help.

 It had taken them years, they refused aid from the knights, not wanting to be sabotaged or to owe anything to their former oppressors. Some of the common people from villages that had magic wielding children came to help with the construction of the tower – a few nobles supported their cause and funded them as well. And after three years of construction, the new Tower for the Circle of Magic was built. With the place up and running, their next task had been finding someone to run it as the Circle’s former headmaster had perished in the rebellion. Initially, they had planned to split the power in the Circle evenly among themselves, but that was squandered when the Knight Commander demanded one person be chosen because he that was how the Circle had previously been led. The next few weeks were spent trying to find the right person to lead the mages once more.

Though they were all fresh out of apprenticeship, they were all extremely skilled and they all had something valuable to bring to the position, but they all also had faults that kept them from it as well. Yuta’s temper was unpredictable, Sicheng flat out rejected the idea of being headmaster, Jaehyun didn’t know how to deal with the pushy Knight Commander, Johnny couldn’t stand being in the presence of the Knight Commander without wanting to turn him into a frog, and Ten thought his elven heritage might make things too difficult for him to take the position. Eventually, it came down to Taeyong, who made it known that he thought the Tower’s main task should have been searching for Doyoung, and Taeil, who though they should focus on rebuilding their relationship with the knights, but they all came to a common consensus that the main operation of the Tower was to remain being the school of magic. Taeil was the master of all forms of magic, including the arcane, he had been a dutiful student and a kind, inspiring peer. Much of the negotiations with the knights had been undertaken by him, as the Knight Commander seemed the most willing to speak to him – without Taeil, the Tower would have never been rebuilt. But Taeyong was just as skilled (though his prowess with healing magic was severely lacking), he too had managed to grasp arcane knowledge and abilities. But where Taeil could be diplomatic, Taeyong’s plan was to find Doyoung so that they could turn their magic on the knights again and defeat them once and for all.

But they couldn’t afford another war with the knights, not after all that they had been through. They had needed a diplomat while they recovered – they needed Taeil. A few weeks after they had the Tower up and running again, they received a letter from the King. Not wanting to upset the Knights, as they protected him and his kingdom, he merely implied his support of the recently rebuilt Tower before stating that he thought it best if Taeil lead them. This was followed by a visit from the Knight Commander, in which he merely echoed the King’s words, that if they wished to continue towards peace, their best choice would be to deem Taeil headmaster. Though they claimed they refused to take orders from the Knights, the Knight Commander’s favor had signified Taeil as the Tower’s leader. A few days after the Knight Commander’s visit, Moon Taeil became the headmaster of the Circle of Magic, the very first since the mage rebellion and the youngest to date.

 Kun remembers how relieved he felt that everything was finally moving forward, but he also remembers how bad he felt for Taeyong. The day that Taeil accepted his new position, Kun had come across Taeyong hiding under a stairway – he had an orb and seemed to be practicing some spells. But after listening for a while, Kun found that Taeyong wasn’t practicing spells – he was using the orb to talk to spirits, or rather trying to conjure up deals with the spirits from the Fade in exchange for their help with finding Doyoung. Kun frowns even now when he thinks of it. Taeyong had been desperate, he had never really given up on Doyoung. And even when they chose Taeil over him, he never abandoned the Tower, even when it was clear that he wanted nothing more than to roam the globe in search of their long-lost friend.

“Sitting dragon Lee Taeyong sets the Tower on fire and everything goes up in flames. What a strange analogy, Johnny.” Slowly, like children with their hands caught in cookies jars, Johnny, Ten, and Kun turn their gazes to the doorway of the office where they find Jaehyun smiling coyly. He enters the room with his hands linked behind his back, eyes focused on the cerulean orb as he speaks, “Though I think that if Taeyong really were a sitting dragon, the first thing to go up in flames would be the Knight’s Watch Tower – not the mage’s Tower.”

There’s a flash then, the oddest twinkle in the ice professor’s gaze when he looks up beneath the brunet bangs hanging in his eyes. Kun resists the urge to frown as he takes in the odd smile on Jaehyun’s lip. He never really understood his relationship with Taeyong. It seemed that Jaehyun was the only one who understood the entropy professor, even if it were to a very small extent.

“You’re right about that, but some fire apprentice will probably beat him to it.” Johnny agrees, earning himself a glare from Ten that makes him raise his hands in surrender, “Have you seen the fire balls these apprentices have been making these days? It’s like they’re planning some sort of mass barbeque. And God forbid someone upset them and their cult leader, Professor Nakamoto, they’ll be reduced to ash soufflé.”

Kun can’t help but to shake his head at the shapeshifting professor’s exaggerated words. Jaehyun covers his mouth, muffled giggles escaping him. But Johnny merely continues, eyes wide as if he were having terror-filled flashbacks.

“I’m serious! I’ve seen the way Yuta looks at me when I’m in pig form, he and his apprentices are going to roast me over a fire like it’s a national holiday when we least expect it-“

Unfortunately, before Johnny can continue his exaggerated rambling, Ten cuts him off, turning to Jaehyun with a serious expression.

“Taeyong has decided to test Mark Lee.” The elven keeper informs the ice professor, “He’s locked the students in caverns full of undead, except for Mark Lee, his cavern is now filled with undead and Lee Donghyuck, who might I add, has not slept in _four_ days.”

Kun watches then as Jaehyun takes a moment to process the information. After all, it wasn’t every day that a group of students were trapped in caverns with undead.

“Which class is this?” Jaehyun asks finally.

“Advanced Entropy” Kun informs him, already aware of the reason for Jaehyun’s unease. After all, he was the school’s secretary, which meant he knew where each and every student was at every hour of the day. And it was certainly no easy feat, but Kun prided himself on it.

“That’s funny.” Is Jaehyun’s uneasy response. The ice mage laughs then, one that barely suppresses his worry, before he mutters in dismay, “Jeno has Advanced Entropy during this time as well.”

“I know.” Kun tells the ice mage with a sympathetic smile, trying not to wince as he adds, “He’s currently trapped in another part of the cavern with Na Jaemin… and several undead.”

“He’s _what_ -“ Jaehyun blurts out, finally coming to realize the danger his apprentice was in. The others watch then as he swiftly turns on his heels and hurries out of the office with a distressed, “I have to go!”

“Good luck getting the number one emo to let you into the caverns.” Johnny calls after him, while Kun sighs in relief. So, his brief plan of dangling the fact that Jeno, among numerous other apprentices, being in danger had worked. Jaehyun would go and speak with Taeyong most likely. If anyone were able to talk some sense into the entropy professor, it was definitely Jaehyun. And, Jaehyun wouldn’t let any harm come to his beloved apprentice.  So, for now, Kun allows himself to relax.

“He’s Jaehyun.” Ten says as if it were simple, “He doesn’t need luck. I’m sure Taeyong would hand over everything he owned if Jaehyun asked.”

“That… is very true.” Johnny admits, brows furrowed as if he should have known better than to think Jaehyun would have any difficulty getting Taeyong to do what he wanted. The shapeshifting professor stares at the cerulean orb briefly, seemingly thinking over his words before murmuring quietly, “Maybe one day he could ask him to give up on Doyoung.”

But both Kun and Ten hear anyway. Kun stiffens in his chair, immediately growing tense, as he always did when Doyoung came up.

“That’s like asking everyone to forget that I’m an elf.” Ten quips, masking his own discomfort by smiling, one that it’s devoid of its usual playfulness.

“Why would we want to give up on Doyoung?” Kun blurts out, brows furrowed as he squanders Ten’s attempt to lighten the mood. He thinks of the day Taeil was appointed headmaster of the Tower, and he thinks of coming across Taeyong, who was whispering so desperately to the spirits, pleading for any known whereabouts of Doyoung. And he thinks of how he’s the only one to have witnessed it. The others didn’t understand. Doyoung had left, but he hadn’t given up on them, Kun thinks – he _hopes_. So how could they so easily give up on him?  

“Isn’t it obvious?” Johnny replies, though his eyes are focused on the orb, the cerulean light reflected in his warm, brown eyes, his gaze is distant when he says, “Because he’s already given up on us.”

Qian Kun’s office is filled with silence then, a silence that said everything for them. Johnny believed that Taeyong had abandoned them, Kun refused to give up hope, and Ten wasn’t sure what he believed, but he knew that the Tower was supposed to be their top priority. Sometimes the topic of Doyoung’s disappearance frightened Kun, not because he was unsure if the other male would ever return, but because of the various reactions such a sensitive topic evoked. Every time the topic of the arcane mage came up, Ten tried to remain neutral, Kun’s emotions always got the best of him, the strong belief in him that Doyoung would return made it difficult to sit in silence when the topic came up, and Johnny was always strung by the notion that because Doyoung abandoned them when they needed him the most, he hadn’t cared about them to begin with and because it had been so long since they last saw or heard from him, he would never return. It really was a sensitive topic, one that made it difficult to break the ensuing silence. But just as Johnny opens his mouth to apologize, the office door comes bursting open and a very red-faced Zhong Chenle appears before them, twisting nervously at the sleeve of his robe.

“Um, I’m really sorry to interrupt Professors, but the Knight Commander is on the first floor and he’s very upset because he can’t find the headmaster.” The earthly apprentice blurts out, face flushed. His smile is sheepish, and his breathing is heavy, letting them know that he probably ran from the first floor all the way up to Kun’s office on the ninth floor.

“What-“ Johnny blurts out, making the student’s eyes widen when he grips the front of the blond’s robe and demands, “What’s he doing here?”

“I doubt this lovely pupil here knows anything.” Kun says pleasantly, forcing a smile when Johnny finally let’s go of Chenle and the startled apprentice turns his gaze on him, “Thank you for telling us, Chenle. Nice work in the Elements the other day. We’ll take care of everything, so run along. And don’t even _think_ that I don’t know about the History of Elements class you have that starts in five minutes and is most certainly _not_ on the first floor.”  

Chenle adverts his gaze, the blush marring his cheeks intensifying as he avoids the knowing look of the Tower’s secretary. Ten shakes his head with an amused smile and Johnny snickers, remembering how he used to try to skip many of his history classes when he was an apprentice.  

“Y-Yes professor.” Chenle murmurs dejectedly, head ducked slightly, feet dragging with the sluggishness of someone who did not want to know the origins of lightning bolts as he makes his way out of the office, closing the door quietly behind him. As soon as the door clicks closed behind the blond, Kun’s pleasant smile promptly drops.

“We have about five minutes to find our headmaster, rescue several students from caverns filled with undead creatures, _and_ stop a duel between Mark Lee and Lee Donghyuck, all before the Knight Commander makes it to the ninth floor.” Kun informs them, wondering how the arrival of one man could simply kick things into overdrive. The situation was under control, or so he thought. The Knight Commander had stripped any sense of peace and calm he had managed to disillusion himself under.

“Don’t you just love the knights?” Johnny muses, “It’s like _oh_ , here’s a situation filled with intense dread and unease, let me show up in my nice, shiny armor with my big, fancy sword and make it worse! Hurray knighthood!”

“You’re not helping.” Ten tells him, though he too had to agree that the Knight Commander’s constant surprise visits were always at the untimeliest moments.

“You’re right, it’s almost like we’re facing an impossible task and I’m just trying to get one good laugh out of all of us before the Knight Commander goes all crazy when he realizes what’s going on and turns the Tower into a prison, _again_.” Johnny retorts, crossing his arms and frowning like a stubborn child – he didn’t seem too keen on the prospect of things turning out well.

“Except he won’t.” Ten says firmly, finally willing to tackle the task at hand, “I’ll let Taeyong know that the Knight Commander is here, and he’ll clear out the caverns. In the meantime, you two should go downstairs and distract the Knight Commander. If we leave him down there too long, he’ll get impatient and try to come to the top floor.”

“He’s right.” Kun mutters, ignoring the sinking feeling in his chest to stand from his desk, a pile of papers scattering to the floor from the action. But he simply ignores them.

“What about Taeil?” Johnny asks, because he was the initial reason for the man’s visit. The Knight Commander wouldn’t leave without speaking to him.

“No one’s seen him since this morning.” Ten says making Johnny glance at Kun – but when Kun avoids his gaze to lead the way out of his office, both Ten and Johnny exchange looks behind him. It was extremely rare for Kun not to know Taeil’s whereabouts. As the Tower’s secretary, he knew everyone’s whereabouts, especially their headmaster. But Kun wouldn’t hide Taeil’s location or whereabouts in such a dire situation, so that meant that he truly did not know. But they had to figure out where Taeil was, within a very short time frame. After all, Johnny liked to joke that the Knight Commander’s patience was very much like the hair on his head: extremely _thin_. The three professors leave the office then, Ten heading in the opposite direction. Kun walks with swift footsteps that leave even Johnny struggling to keep up with him.

“So, what’s the plan?” The shapeshifting professors asks, peering over at Kun curiously.

“Don’t let the Knight Commander get anywhere past the first floor.” The secretary replies, though the rational part of him was speaking up again, and it reminded him that the task ahead of them was much easier said than done.

 

 

 

 

 

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“I told you something was going on.” Renjun says as he watches professor Chittaphon hurry down the ninth-floor hallway while professor Qian and professor Seo run off in another. Having abandoned their breakfast after Mark and Jeno’s departure, he now stood hiding behind a cornered wall on the ninth floor with Jisung and Jeongin behind him and Chenle standing before them looking horribly nervous.

“But what is it?” Jisung inquires, frowning in confusion before glancing at Chenle, who quickly looks away, cheeks a bright pink.

“We have to figure it out!” Jeongin exclaims with an excited grin that reveals his cheek dimples. He tugs on Jisung’s sleeve then, blurting out, “We should follow them and see where they’re going!”

“Or we could just go to class.” Chenle protests in the meekest of tones, shifting nervously when he remembers professor Qian’s warning. But Renjun merely scoffs.

“We go to class every day. It’s time to do something different.” The brunet healing apprentice says, Jeongin and Jisung nodding agreement, “We need to figure out what’s going on.”

“We should split up.” Jisung suggests, already reaching for Chenle’s hand as he says, “Chenle and I will trail professor Qian and professor Seo while you and Jeongin see where professor Chittaphon is headed.”

“But my class starts in less than five minutes!” Chenle attempts to protest once more, though Renjun rolls his eyes when he notices the blond makes no move to remove his hand from Jisung’s.

“Like you really care about how the first lightning apprentice accidentally electrocuted himself while discovering chain lightning.” Jisung says, ignoring any further protests from the blond as he drags the earthen apprentice along. Renjun watches them disappear in the direction that professor Qian and professor Seo had hurried off in before he glances at Jeongin, who’s bouncing excitedly beside him.

“Let’s go.” Renjun says now that the coast is clear. He motions for Jeongin to follow him when he steps from around the corner. The two boys fall into step beside each other then as they follow their professor from a safe distance.

 

 

 

 

 

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Mark wished that he could cover his ears. That way he could muffle the ghastly groaning of the undead and the creaking of their bones that seemed to consume the dark cavern. But such sounds paled in comparison to the loud thumping of his own heart that seemed to echo within him, making his chest ache from the force. The dark-haired teen takes in the various skeletal warriors and the undead in the their hunched over forms, hollow eyes narrowed in on him, and then he looks at the brunet mage, Donghyuck, as he picks up his staff, seemingly content with the amount of undead that he has reanimated. Professor Lee had summoned one of the skeletons earlier and most likely the entirety of the undead they were facing in the caverns, and this mere apprentice had just summoned an entire army of undead on his own. Mark can’t help but to think of Jeno’s words then. Could an apprentice really be this powerful?

He stares at the other boy intensely then, taking note of how such a seemingly powerful spell didn’t seem to deter Donghyuck in the slightest. He was smirking as he held his staff, standing in the midst of the undead, but when the faint glow from the edge of his weapon illuminates his face, Mark can see it. Despite how confident he seemed, Donghyuck looked absolutely exhausted. Mark takes in the bags lining the other boy’s face and he wonders just how bad his insomnia was. But more importantly, could he use how tired the other boy was to his advantage?

If Donghyuck was as tired as he looked, then maybe Mark could further exhaust him into surrendering. It wasn’t a plan that he was confident would work, but it was his best option. First, he had to deal with the reanimated corpses surrounding the other boy. But how? Much of the magic Mark had used upon even discovering he had such abilities had all been accidental. Panic had summoned forth his magic in the city and pure fear had helped him face off with an ogre. But now, for reasons beyond him, Mark felt surprisingly calm for someone faced with an entire army of reanimated corpses.

“I have yet to fully grasp the concept of reanimation. I can reanimate the lifeless, but nowhere on the same level as my mentor. Despite these being my summons, I have no real control over them.” Donghyuck admits suddenly, referring to the reanimated beings surrounding him. Briefly Mark felt confused, but then he watches as the entropy mage smiles suddenly, a grin that masks his exhaustion when he adds, “But don’t be fooled into thinking this means you’re safe, Mark Lee. Reanimations are summoned to attack at some point. So, if you don’t make the first move, then they will.”  

As soon as the words leave the brunet mages lips, movement from before him catches Mark’s attention. The dark-haired boy’s eyes widen at the sight of the reanimated corpse at the very front of the small army charging _directly at him_. Following the first corpse are two stray skeletons, all a mere few feet away from him. And Mark isn’t sure what possesses him to, but he holds out his palms as he had done that day in the city market, and wills for something, _anything_ to save him. There are no wispy, violet coils to emerge from his palms, but still, the apprentice isn’t disappointed, not when he can feel it, a harsh chill that seems to emanate from his very being. The Lee boy winces against the frigid, icy feeling in his palm. His limbs felt stiff, and each breath he took felt cold, sharp, and almost painful. The burning chill in his palm stung, but Mark merely squeezes his eyes shut tighter and bears with the pain. A ghastly groan sounds before it is abruptly silenced. Complete silence fills the cavern then, in which Mark can only hear his heartbeat which has calmed down to a dull thud that seems to echo in his mind.

Slowly, Mark opens his eyes, mouth dropping open slightly in shock as he takes in the undead creature and the two skeletal beings on either side of the creature. They were frozen, mere inches away from the apprentice, sheathed in lawyers of frost that seemed to hold them in place, their barren eyes frozen over into nothingness. With the forefront of his reanimated army incapacitated, Donghyuck’s own eyes widen, but only slightly before he quickly schools his expression once more. Mark notices then, the faint shaking of Donghyuck’s hand when he lowers his staff before he takes a weary step, blinking heavily. So, his exhaustion was catching up to him already, Mark noted. But the sight of Donghyuck’s staff reminds him of the one strapped to his own back: _Mercy_. He had completely forgotten about it. Suddenly, the words from Ten’s letter flash through his mind then. _If you find yourself in trouble, Mercy will save you_ , he had written.

The rest of the reanimated corpses seem to gain some sort of life then, straightening almost mechanically, stretching out their limbs before they too narrow in on Mark. A piercing pain shoots through Mark’s arm as soon as he moves it. The limb was pale, almost an ashen white, and his very veins were prevalent as they ran beneath his wrist. Ignoring the frigid stiffness in his arm, the Lee boy reaches behind him, hurriedly unfastening the wooden structure from his back. His stiff fingers wrap around _Mercy_ , and once again, Mark isn’t sure what he’s doing – he merely copies what he’s seen numerous others do before when he slams the onyx staff down against the ground. At first, nothing happens, but then the topaz encased at the top of the onyx structure begins to flicker before a series of brilliant blue flashes that illuminate the dark cavern.

Mark feels his very breath leave him then as he watches the first bolt of lightning, a flash of irradiated blue that arcs, striking the nearest reanimated creature, scorching them into a pile of bones and dull limbs within mere seconds. From the first flash, a series of lightning fueled pulses resonate in the cave, striking everything in range. Donghyuck holds up his arm weakly, shielding his eyes from the bright, flashing light as his army of undead succumb to the chain lightning strikes. Mark himself struggles to keep a hold on _Mercy_ , the raw energy emanating from the staff seemed to be much too powerful for his frigid fingers to keep hold off, but somehow, he manages. Under the wrath of _Mercy_ , the reanimated army is reduced to piles of bones and limbs that litter the small cavern in heaps, smoke wafting from what’s left of the rubble. Mark looks around then, wincing when he notices that a particular lightning strike from Mercy had shattered the frozen creatures before him into a heap of crystalline pieces that grace the ground in a shattered state before his feet.

“Impressive.” Donghyuck’s voice echoes in the cavern then, and when Mark looks over, the other boy seems to be struggling to keep himself upright. Without the army of reanimated creatures surrounding him he seemed much smaller and slightly less intimidating. And his exhaustion was more evident, as was the shaky hold the other boy had on his own staff. The entropy apprentice smirks then, a worn expression of his already tired face, “But let’s see if you can survive this.”

Mark watches then as the brunet seems to swing his arm out in an arc before bringing it towards himself in a small casting ritual. And then, Mark is to watch in horror as a dark, miasmic mist emerges from the very center of the cavern, spreading out slowly like a cloud hovering amidst the dimness. The frigid, icy feeling within Mark dissipates then, thawing away almost instantly. With the stiff sensation gone, Mark instantly straightens, clutching _Mercy_ with a weary expression. The entropic cloud seemed harmless, or so he thought. The apprentice takes a step back, his already bruised back hitting the cavern wall when the first sheaths of the dark mist approach him then, enveloping him slowly. At first the dark-haired teen felt nothing, but then an intense draining feeling courses through him, and almost immediately, Mark began to feel weak. He felt how Donghyuck looked – _tired_. That combined with the intense draining he felt seemed to take an intense hold on him and he soon founds his own hands shaking as he struggled to maintain his hold on _Mercy_. He figured that if he didn’t do something soon, he might lose consciousness or worse, he would suffocate.

“Mercy cannot save you.” He can hear Donghyuck’s quiet voice, but the brunet entropy mage is obscured in the dark cloud. Mark squints in the darkness, but it proves fruitless. The debilitation he felt beneath the inky cloud left him too disoriented to think and much too weak to move.

“Donghyuck, that’s enough.” A quiet but firm voice says, and almost immediately, the dark cloud begins to dissipate. When the dark cloud begins to fade, Mark can feel the suffocating hold on him slowly meld away. The distant crushing feeling he felt began to disappear, and breathing no longer took painful heaves. Instead, Mark nearly chokes at the rush of air that enters his lungs so easily. One minute he was suffocating, and then the next he could breathe again. The remnants of the dark cloud fade to reveal Professor Lee holding the back of Donghyuck’s cowl while the apprentice looks mere seconds from fainting from his exhaustion, and Professor Jung, who’s staring at both the other professor and his apprentice with mild concern. Professor Lee’s face softens in concern for his apprentice, and his voice is more sympathetic than usual when he speaks, “The Knight Commander is here. We have to clear the caverns and get you to the clinic. You’ve overexerted yourself.”

Donghyuck merely blinks blearily at his mentor’s words, making Professor Lee frown. He seemed to want to bring his apprentice to the clinic immediately, but he didn’t want to abandon the rest of his students in the caverns. As if sensing this, Professor Jung decides to ease his fellow professor’s worries.

“I’ll take care of it.” Jaehyun tells Taeyong, who looks visibly relieved.

“Thank you, Jaehyun.” Taeyong mutters, the faintest hint of a blush gracing his cheeks. Professor Jung smiles to assure the elder, but Professor Lee, embarrassed, merely pulls Donghyuck closer as another dark cloud begins to form around them. Mark watches them carefully, stiffening when Donghyuck locks gazes with him from where his head is strewn weakly on Professor Lee’s shoulder. The brunet apprentice’s gaze is distant and disoriented, his eyes remain open before slowly, they fall closed in almost pained wince. It makes Mark feel sympathetic for things that he doesn’t understand as he watches both the apprentice and professor disappear in a cloud of inky smoke. Suddenly, Mark finds that he can no longer keep himself up, he reaches out weakly in the darkness for something to keep himself stable, but his hands meet nothing but air that lets him fall forward onto his knees in the dark cavern. This catches the attention of Professor Jung, who hurries over on swift footsteps. He bends down then, reaching out a hand to help steady the disoriented apprentice.

“Try to stay upright. The disorientation will make you want to lie down, but that will only make you lose consciousness. And there’s no telling how long you will be out for. That spell drained all of your energy, but try to stay alert. I know it’s hard, but you’ll feel better in the long run.” The professor advises, seemingly speaking from experience with the way he winces slightly when he sees the pure exhaustion on Mark’s face. Mark himself is struggling to speak. His words felt clogged in his throat, and the more he tried to force them out, the more he felt a painful pulling at his throat, making him feel somewhat nauseous and even more tired. Professor Jung seems to sense this because he bears a sympathetic look and speaks as gently as possible to the apprentice, “I understand your panic. Strange things are happening in the Circle, Mark. And I think you know that you’re a special case. Professor Lee was simply testing you and your abilities. I think he was impressed. I mean, even I am impressed right now. Entropic clouds can kill their victims if they are conjured by someone on the level of someone like Professor Lee. But Donghyuck is apprentice, the best his entropic cloud will do is knock you out. And yet here you are, still standing. In the end it was not _Mercy_ that saved you, but it was you that saved yourself. Do you understand?”

Somehow the words felt like a distant blur to Mark. He wonders how Professor Jung knew Mercy wasn’t his. And why Professor Lee chose to test him specifically. Was there something he was missing? So far, the Circle felt like one big mystery to him. And he felt that he was the only person missing so many pieces to the puzzle that was the Circle of Magic. Still, Mark nods. The slow, weak movement of his head makes professor Jung smile disarmingly.

“The caverns are being cleared. Come on, we should get you back to the rest of your class. I’m sure they are worried about you.” While the professor helps lift him up by a firm grip on his robe clad sleeve, Mark wonders who could possibly be worried about him. But then he thinks of all of the friends he’s made in the Circle so far, after only a few days. His mind wanders to Jaemin, Jeno, and Lucas and what became of them. Had they been able to manage the caverns on their own? Once again, Professor Jung seems to read the worry on his face and he quickly smiles and assures him, “Are you worried about the others? I wouldn’t be. Some of the Circle’s top apprentices are in this course. The caverns for them are like playing games around the castle for city children.”

Mark felt comfort in the elder’s words. He remembers how eager Jaemin and Lucas had been to test out their hexes, and he figures being trapped in a cavern full of creatures that would allow them to do just that was nothing short of entertainment for them. Jeno had been nervous, but ultimately, he had gotten separated with Jaemin, someone who wouldn’t allow the ice apprentice to get hurt if the way he was so willing to always take the lead were any indication. Any worry Mark felt is quickly dispelled. But he can’t help but to frown as he thinks of one particular person. Professor Jung helps him along the dark cavern, and in the silence, Mark does his best to find his voice. He felt that if he tried to speak, the suffocating feeling from before might return, but he was too curious to let the opportunity pass by.

“Will he be okay?” His words come out as a strangled murmur, but the professor hears them anyway.

“Donghyuck? He should be fine. He’s just overexerted himself. He hasn’t slept in a few days and entropy clouds take a lot of energy and willpower to summon, so that one probably took what was left of him. But that’s nothing that a few days of rest in the medical clinic won’t fix.” Jaehyun informs the student before smiling slightly, “Donghyuck is a bit of a special case like you, Mark. Entropy has always been a bit difficult to master. It requires a certain commitment that not many students were able to make. Everyone that has begun on the path of Entropy has abandoned it and turned to the elements, mostly fire - everyone except Donghyuck. I can’t tell if it’s because he truly feels it is his calling or he doesn’t want to abandon his mentor… Mark, there comes a certain time in apprenticeship as an entropy mage in which you start to have trouble sleeping, when you develop insomnia, it is a sign that the Spirits have welcomed you into the craft. The better you become at entropy, the more the insomnia consumes you. When students began abandoning the pathway, they were already having issues sleeping. It took a lot of research and experimentation on Professor Kim Jungwoo’s part, but eventually these students were able to be cured of their sleeping disorders. But we’ve recently found out that Donghyuck’s insomnia is incurable. If he wanted to abandon entropy-“

“He wouldn’t be able to.” Mark concludes, a sinking feeling coursing through him then. He felt a certain bitterness that made him wonder just how Donghyuck coped knowing that he was stuck in the darkness, with no known escape. He watches then as Professor Jung places his palm against the rocky surface before them. Almost instantly, the rocky structure is covered ice that quickly shatters when the Professor withdraws his hand in one quick motion. The elder then resumes his hold on Mark’s arm as he helps him over the shattered piles of ice.

“Yes, that’s the thing about entropy.” Professor Jung says with a somewhat distant look despite the small smile on his lips, “Once the spirits of the Fade see that you were meant for it, they never want to let you go. They take your dreams and make them theirs, and in return, they give you magic that is unmatched. The sacrifice and the exchange made by entropy mages is really only understood by them. Entropy mages are special people, Mark, take it from me.”

Mark takes in the elemental professor’s wistful smile and he figures that the elder is probably no longer talking about Donghyuck, but a certain entropy professor. To Mark, it was all so odd. He had often heard that mages were terrible people. His father told him that they often made sacrifices to demons and let unknown magic consume them. To add to it, any knight within a few feet would attest to these claims. They were always eager to paint the mages as wicked, evil beings who wished to destroy the very world around them. But they knew nothing of the plights the mages faced themselves. Donghyuck hadn’t chosen to be born as a mage, and neither had he chosen to have an affinity for entropy. But the spirits had already chosen him and now he had no choice. Mark frowns. It seemed that the mages didn’t have a lot of choices in their lifetimes. He thinks of how he also had no choice. When his own magical abilities were discovered he was stripped of his choices in life as well. Was this what it meant to be a mage, to be stripped of your choices in life? Mark felt sympathetic, and he wished that he could go back and tell his father that he was wrong. The mages had no qualms with life, but the very life around them seemed intent on being against the mages.

He’s so lost in his thoughts that the fallen reanimated corpses and piles of skeleton bones they pass are but a distant blur. Professor Jung seems content with that he sees, and Mark can practically feel the pride that seems to radiate from the elder when he sees what the apprentices have done. The sluggishness from before seems to catch up to Mark then and Jaehyun struggles briefly when the apprentice rests all of his weight on the support the professor has on his arm. Mark feels the very world around him start to spin, the effects from the entropy cloud returning once more. His stomach lurches from his sudden lethargy and he dry heaves under his breath briefly. He can see the cavern entrance before them, a flooding of light in the darkness. The seconds before they exit the darkness seem to stretch on. He can hear professor Jung speaking, but much of his words are a blur.

“Mark? Try to bear with the exhaustion. Do not go to sleep tonight until you are sure that the effects of the entropic cloud have mostly disappeared. If they do not subside by then please visit the medical clinic. The healing apprentices will know what to do.” The elder instructs. Mark nods blearily and Professor Jung watches him closely. When the dark-haired teen gains his bearings and is prepared to walk away, the brunet professor grips his arm suddenly, staring at him with an indecipherable look as he voices evenly, “Try to keep what happened in the caverns between you, me, Professor Lee, and Donghyuck. Do you think you can do that, Mr. Lee?”

Suddenly, Mark felt alert. So, what happened in the caverns was abnormal. But why him? For some reason, his mind drew a blank. Professor Jung is still staring at him intensely and its enough to make Mark nod quickly, using what little energy had left. The tense expression on the brunet professor’s face fades rather quickly then and is replaced by an easy-going smile.

“Good. Well, you’re free to go. Professor Chittaphon should be waiting outside. Please check in with him before you leave. Take care, Mr. Lee.” Professor Jung says then, stopping just before the entrance and waving Mark off with a small smile. Mark stares at the elder briefly, feeling rather uneasy about the elder’s sudden change in personality, before he finally makes his way towards the exit on stiff legs. When he steps out of the darkness, he’s greeted with the dim, grimness of professor Lee’s classroom. The place is packed with apprentices chatting excitedly with enthusiastic smiles about their adventures in the caverns. Mark looks around the crowd, spotting professor Chittaphon speaking with a student, seemingly reassuringly them about something. The dark-haired boy hobbles forward through the crowd, prepared to head towards the professor when suddenly a hand grips his shoulders, pushing him away. Unable to use his still numb arm, Mark uses his other arm in an attempt to flail. But his assailant ignores him, pushing him into the furthest corner of the room, away from the crowd.

“There you are! We’ve been waiting for you!” Jeongin exclaims, a relived smile on his face as he stands there, gripping Mark’s shoulders gently. Behind him, Renjun frowns when he notices the pale, raw state of the Lee boy’s arm and the prominent veins casting the limb a sickly blue.

“Are you okay?” Renjun asks, though he’s already moving to grab Mark’s arm. As he always did when in close vicinity with the healing mages, Mark began to feel light, a feeling that, combined with his inertia, made him feel faint once more. Renjun cradles his arm gently, a bright brilliance of light encasing the frostbitten limb. Renjun frowns, attempting to look Mark in the eye, “You have frostbite on your arm. What exactly happened in those caverns?”

But Mark found that, once again, his words have left him. The same suffocating feeling from earlier had begun to consume him again. His throat felt tight, but Mark swallows down the overwhelming feeling. His head falls forward against Renjun’s shoulder as he welcomes the comfort he found in the healing mage’s warmth.

“Renjun” He croaks out in a strangled whisper, “Something is strange is happening in the Circle.”

“I know.” He can hear Renjun say a second later. Distantly, he feels the healing mage’s hand on his back, gripping his robe gently, “We’re going to figure out what it is. Together.”

Mark is unaware of everything that follows. He misses the way Renjun frowns when he spots Lee Jeno and Na Jaemin exiting the cavern, Jeno smiling shyly at Jaemin, who appeared to be teasing him. Lucas follows them seconds later, bragging loudly about how he melted the undead into “zombie soup” with his new fire spells. But most importantly, Mark misses the way professor Chittaphon stares at him from across the room with a small frown. Mark found that he could no longer focus on these small things. Instead, he focuses on Renjun’s words. They would figure everything out _together_. And there was still so much to figure out. But at least now, Mark was no longer alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 _______________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“We should just turn back around and go to class.” Chenle suggests for what feels like the tenth time that day, “It’s not too late to-“

“Are you always such a nervous wreck?” Jisung questions as the two follow professor Seo and professor Qian down the stairs leading to the first floor. Somehow, they managed to keep a safe distance from the ninth floor all the way down the first. Jisung snorts when he realizes his question and he quickly backtracks, “Actually, scratch that. When are you not such a nervous wreck?”

“Oh, you know, usually when I’m _not_ skipping class _and_ stalking the school’s main secretary, who might I remind you, knows our class schedules like they’re his favorite spell book.” Chenle retorts with a frustrated glance at the blond beside him. His mentor was going to kill him if he found out he was skipping class.

“Would you relax? They’ll only notice us if you keep having a nervous breakdown back here.” Is Jisung’s response that makes Chenle shake his head but remain silent. Jisung peeks around the corner leading to the first floor, seemingly watching the two professors before his eyes widen slightly.

“What’s the Knight Commander doing here?” He wonders aloud, frowning when he takes in the sight of the two knights flanking the Knight Commander. Usually, knights were only allowed in the Circle Tower only under the case of emergency. Had something happened outside of the Tower that the mages needed to be alerted about? Jisung was curious, curious enough to turn to Chenle and tell him, “Transform into something small. We need to get closer.”

And then, without giving the curly haired blond a chance to protest, he promptly hunches over, allowing his own limbs to shrink into stubby extensions of fur. Shapeshifting into a mouse came like a second nature to Jisung, and in a matter of seconds, he was a tiny creature perched on the floor, looking around with beady eyes. He takes off in the direction of the two professors then, glancing back when he remembers his companion. And he’s expecting a bug or perhaps a cat, but he can feel his stubby paws scrape against the floor as he skitters to a stop.

“A _pink_ mouse?” He hisses, bumping into the bright pink mouse that was his friend. Chenle, unaccustomed to shapeshifting, stumbles along with his bright pink fur. And Park Jisung really has to resist the urge to scream, “Chenle-“

“Knight Commander, it’s so nice to see you!” Professor Seo’s voice rings loudly in the otherwise barren hallway, and Jisung, realizing that they have no time, quickly ushers Chenle into hiding as they prepare to listen in on the conversation about to take place.

 

 

 

 

 

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“Knight Commander, it’s so nice to see you!”

Despite Johnny’s bright greeting, the Knight Commander’s face is one of pure steel.

“It would be nice if I could share that sentiment.” He says, making Kun wince at his bluntness. Johnny’s eye twitches and he briefly looks away to make a face before he turns back with a forced smile. But the Knight Commander is already demanding bluntly, “Where is the headmaster?”

“Aren’t you going to ask about the Tower?” Kun tries this time, smiling in what he hopes is a pleasant manner, “We have a lot of new upgrades. We’ve even added a symposium on the Circle’s history! It’s pretty interesting. Would you like to see-“

“I could care less about the history of your rebelliousness.” The Knight Commander cuts in sharply, eyes narrowed as he regards the two professors, “I am not oblivious. You think I don’t know that you’re stalling? Why is the headmaster not standing before me? He must not be present, and if not, then _where_ is he? I demand to know, _now_.”   

Kun resists the urge to wince. Sometimes it felt like the Knight Commander’s words could cut right through you, that and the man’s steely gaze made the professor increasingly nervous. It was difficult to hide things from such a perceptive person. Taeil’s disappearance would surely upset the elder. They had to get rid of the Knight Commander. But how? Johnny seemed just as lost and helpless as he was.

“The headmaster is teaching a class right now.” Even Johnny winces at just how unconvincing the lie sounds coming from Kun’s lips. But it was the best that he could come up with.

“Then take me to it.” The Knight Commander demands, and when neither Kun nor Johnny make move to do just that, he smirks, “Unless you all are hiding something.”

The thumping of the Knight Commander’s boots echoes in the empty hallway as he walks past the two professors. With his hands interlocked behind his back, he puffs out his chest, intent on accompanying himself to the ninth floor. The two knights begin to follow behind him, like robots, marching forward with their faces obscured by their helmets. Kun and Johnny exchange panicked glances then behind the Knight Commander’s back. Panic began to set in as the two scrambled for some sort of excuse. But luckily, in that same moment the Commander’s eyes narrow at something in particular.

“What is _that_?” The man hisses before pointing a shaky finger at a mound of pink fur hiding behind a statue of the Circle’s first headmaster, “A pink mouse? What is the meaning of this?”

When the Knight Commander whips around to regard them with an intense look, both Kun and Johnny scramble for words, babbling incoherent sentences.

“I knew better than to trust any of your kind. A pink mouse? You all are conspiring with demons _again_. I knew it! From this moment on, the Tower is officially on lockdown, no one is to step foot outside until that abomination has been captured.” The Knight Commander declares, face bright red with determination. Johnny covers his mouth to muffle his snickers while Kun resists the urge to outright laugh in the elder’s face. But the Knight Commander ignores them both, pointing at the pink mouse before shouting at his knights, “Well? Why are you two just standing there? Catch that mouse!”

The two Knights nod quickly, practically tripping over each other as they rush to do as commanded of them. The Knight Commander stomps behind them, shouting about abominations, demons, and forbidden magic all the while. The pink mouse’s eyes widen when it catches sight of the two knights headed towards it and it quickly skitters off, up to the second floor. The two professors watch the scene, both shaking their heads when the mouse, the two knights, and the Knight Commander disappear around the corner leading up to the second floor.

“Who knew a pink mouse would save the day.” Kun says, a smile of disbelief on his face as he wonders, “Has the Circle always been this strange?”

“Always” Johnny informs him with a grin, “Here’s to hoping the old man gets so worked up about catching that mouse that he breaks his hip _again_ and has to be sent to the city clinic.”

“You’re awful.” Kun says, though he can’t help but to laugh when he thinks of the Knight Commander’s angry, red face again. Who knew someone could get so worked up about a pink mouse? The two professors stand there in their amusement then, when movement from behind them catches their attention. Kun doesn’t even have to turn around as he addresses the gray mouse behind them, “As much as I appreciate Chenle and your efforts in distracting the Knight Commander, I do _not_ appreciate you skipping your History of Elements class, Mr. Park, which is why I will gladly see you and Mr. Zhong bright and early on Saturday morning to help me clean this entire Tower.”

Sure enough, when Kun finally does turn around it’s to see Park Jisung, who’s quickly returned to his original form to plead his case.

“But, Professor Seo, that’s not fair.” Jisung attempts to reason with his mentor, “We helped distract the Knight Commander!”

“As expected of the greatest shapeshifter of all time!” Johnny replies gleefully, coming closer to ruffle Jisung’s hair. But when Kun glares at him, he quickly clears his throat and scolds, “But even the greatest need to be disciplined when they skip class. Like professor Qian said, he’ll see both you and Chenle early Saturday morning, no excuses.”

“Yes, professors.” Jisung replies glumly, turning around and dragging off in the direction of the second floor, grumbling all the while about unfair professors and pink mice.

“He’s such a diligent, devoted student.” Johnny says followed by a sigh and proud smile, “When will we find another like him?”

“Never” Kun says with as much false sincerity as he can possess. And it seems to work because Johnny nods in agreement.

“True, Park Jisung is really one of a kind.” The shape shifting professor agrees, sighing heavily once more before stalking off, shoulders stiff as if he were truly carrying the weight of having such a noteworthy student.

Kun shakes his head as he watches Johnny go. He still needed to inform the Knight Commander that the pink mouse was in fact a student, check on Taeyong and his cavern of undead adventure, make sure that Lee Donghyuck was getting proper rest, and check on Mark Lee. A secretary’s job was never truly done. Though he enjoyed his job, Kun still sighs when he thinks of the long list of things that he must do. Briefly, he glances at the portrait behind him and he smiles. It was a painting of Taeil that had been presented to them by a merchant from the city named Sunggyu.  The lightning professor takes in the bright, hopeful smile painted on the headmaster’s lips and he mimics it with a small smile of his own.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it all until you get back.” He says before pointing a finger at the portrait, “But you owe me.”

Kun smiles then, enjoying the moment to himself. But it is quickly interrupted when a panicked apprentice comes rushing towards him.

“Professor Qian! The Knight Commander has rushed into our classroom, yelling about a pink mouse! He’s made one of the healing apprentices have a nervous breakdown with all of his shouting!” The apprentice blurts out in his panic.

“I’m coming.” Kun tells the younger, shaking his head before following the apprentice who starts to lead him up to the second floor. Despite the situation, he couldn’t help but to smile.

The Circle of Magic really was a handful. But Qian Kun wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it has been forever since I’ve updated. I hope everyone’s New Year is going well! Also, now worries, Taeil hasn’t dramatically disappeared like Doyoung, he’s just off doing headmaster things : )
> 
> Here’s a bit more elaboration for this chapter.
> 
> \- Jungwoo wasn’t mentioned during the mage rebellion for a reason. 
> 
>  
> 
> \- More backstory on the Tower + The War: 
> 
> The Tower of Magic they are in now is not the original Tower. In the original Tower the knights and the mages lived together unlike how it is now with the mages having their own Tower and the knights living further outland in a watch Tower. The original tower was much stricter with the knights killing mages who used forbidden magic, or magic deemed “unsafe” by the knights. The mages were severely restricted in everything they did and the headmaster of the Tower during this time period was more of a symbol with no real power. Eventually, having grown tired of their mistreatment, the mages rebelled, which led to a very bloody war between them and the knights. The original Tower was reduced to a mess of blood and violence that made many mages flee, often hiding in woods and small villages, while elven apprentices (like Ten) returned to their clans. The arrival of the Taint (which will be explained more later), scared the knights because of how powerful the creatures were. They realized they could not defeat the Taint on their brute force alone, they needed the help of magic. Though they didn’t want to ally with the mages that they just attempted to annihilate, they realized they didn’t have much of a choice, the Taint was slaughtering their ranks. So, they decided to make peace with the mages. The Knight Commander managed to track down the apprentice he was the most tolerable of before the war broke out: Moon Taeil. And so Taeil was the representative of the mages during many of the peace talks that happened after the war. He managed to convince the Knight Commander to allow the Tower to be rebuilt, this time with more freedom for the mages entirely. The Tower was rebuilt then, this time with the knights residing outside of its walls and the functioning of the Tower being entirely left to the mages. To continue the custom of having a headmaster, the Knight Commander insisted they nominate someone from what was left of the mages. Though it came down to Taeyong or Taeil, a letter from the King in support of Taeil pretty much sealed the deal on the matter. Taeil was then appointed headmaster of the Circle/School of Magic. This is why everyone has Taeil in such high regards (it’s also why people call him the “voice” of the mages + Sunggyu calls him the “hope” of the mages). He’s done a lot in terms of having the Tower rebuilt + helping the mages recover from the rebellion/war. 
> 
>  
> 
> \- The Knight Commander is very important: despite all of the progress that occurred after the war, he still retains the “Right of Annulment”, meaning that if he sees something occurring in the Tower that he considers to be extremely dangerous or beyond repair (e.g. forbidden magic being used, dark magic (like entropy) being used to an extent beyond what is allowed) he can send in an order for the Tower to be terminated (again) under the pretense that the mages are planning to rebel (again) - even if they aren’t.


End file.
